Earthbound Toa
by MasteroftheIceblade
Summary: When the Toa Nuva put on some strange masks, they are swept away to Earth, waking to find themselves separated from each other and in human bodies. To top it off, the Makuta has sinister plans of his own... CH. 11 UPLOADED, finally. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
1. Strange Masks

Strange Masks 

"There! I think we've found another one!" cried Tahu. He moved closer to the moss-covered crevice at the edge of the cliff. There, poking out of the mountainside was a strange looking Kanohi mask. It was bronze colored and had a smooth sheen to it. It also looked oddly similar to a human face.

Pohatu came over to the crevice."Yep, that would be mine!" he said triumphantly. He used his little pickaxe things to carefully yank out the mask. It glowed even more in the afternoon sun. "Now we have 7 out of the 7 Kanohi masks found! "he said to the watching Toa Nuva.

You see, Turaga Vakama had gotten word of a strange new set of Kanohi masks. These new masks had a strange, unknown power that could be useful to the Toa, though they did not know what it was. And of course the Turaga didn't want the masks to fall into the hands of Makuta; who knows what he would use the unknown powers for. So the Toa Nuva set out to find the masks and keep Makuta or his minions from getting them. Legend also said that only the Toa Nuva could wear these masks, so the Toa had to watch their backs as well.

Anyway, the first one was somewhat simple to find.Tahu's mask had been buried in dried lava, deep in the volcanic region of Ta- Koro. There were no fierce creatures guarding it.Pohatu's had been simple as well. For him, getting a mask out of the side of a mountain was no trouble at all. Gali's had been found tied up and stuck in old seaweed at the bottom of the lake, and she just barely escaped with it from a fierce lake Rahi.Lewa's had been carefully guarded by a mean-looking Nui-Jaga, who had almost bitten his arm off. Kopaka's was no exception. He had had to climb all the way up to the top of icy Mount Ihu and free his mask from a large block of ice. Onua's was buried in earth, way below Onu- Wahi.Takanuva's was way underground between Ko-Koro and Le- Koro. But now all the masks were found and the Toa could test them out.

"Don't you think we should wait for the Turaga to look them over?" Gali asked worriedly. "We don't know what power lies in these Kanohi masks."

Tahu snorted. "No, I don't think we should wait. They might not let us wear them. Besides, how powerful and dangerous can one mask be?"

"She's right, you know," said Onua quietly." I mean, we've never seen masks like these before! They might be like the Kanohi Vahi, the Great Mask of Time, where there's so much power that it's to hard to control, remember?"

Tahu scowled. "Well, if you didn't plan on _wearing _the masks, I guess this was a complete waste of time!"  
Pohatu agreed." I mean, it's not like mine was hard to get or anything, but I'm just curious to put it on."

Gali sighed." Fine. I suppose they weren't meant to be like the Vahi.I just hope they don't end up spontaneously combust or something like that." She put her mask up to her face.

Lewa interrupted ."Wait, sister! I think we should all put ours on at the same time, just for luck. It always worked before!"

The other Toa Nuva agreed. "Well, here goes nothing," muttered Kopaka.

"One, …two,.. Three!" They snapped the masks onto their faces.

The effect was almost instantaneous. All the Toa felt overwhelmed and moved by the sudden rush of power, speed, movement and light. They felt as if they were flying high over the sky and over time and over light at an immense speed. Kopaka could no longer see the other Toa Nuva beside him. He could move at all hardly, paralyzed by a sudden wave of light. He (and all the other Toa Nuva) felt a sudden rush of power again, but this one seemed to be sucking all the power _out _of them. His body was tingling all over. His head and mind hurt. Kopaka wondered if they still had the masks on, but he couldn't move or feel his face.

Takanuva had practically fallen asleep, if that was possible, the way they were traveling and all. But he had a feeling that he, all the Toa, were no longer on Mata Nui anymore. Suddenly, he hit the ground hard. Thump! His head hurt even more. With an odd sense of drowsiness, Takanuva went unconscious.


	2. Welcome to Earth

Welcome to Earth 

Kopaka groaned._ What happened? We put on the masks and…._ He painfully sat up. The masks. Where were they? He touched his face. No evidence of a mask was there. None at all. Not even his old one. In fact, his skin felt surprisingly smooth and warm. _What did those masks do to us? And where is it now? _He wondered. One thing was for sure: something had definitely changed about him. His masks were gone.

Gali opened her eyes. _Where am I? Where are the others?_ were the thoughts going through her head. She looked around. She was in a room with 2 couches, both with intricate designs, a coffee table, a TV and entertainment center, and a doorway leading to another room. Then Gali saw a girl lying on one of the couches. She was asleep and an open book was slipping out of her hands. Suddenly her eyes opened. She stared at Gali for a moment then smiled. "Oh, good, you're awake! I was worried that you were dead or something when I found you next to my house. "

Gali looked at her. The girl was about 14 or 15, with short beach blonde hair and blue eyes. "I should introduce myself. My name's Geri Varner. I'm 14, and I live with my parents and have no siblings. I go to Old Mesa Middle School, just down the road. Where do you come from?" asked Geri. Gali thought. "Well, I don't really think you'll believe me if I told you."

Geri smiled. "I'll believe you, no matter how crazy it sounds."

"Oh, alright. I came from an island called Mata Nui along with 6 others. We were Toa Nuva, protectors of Mata Nui.We each had an elemental power, and mine was Water. We had heard of strange masks with strange powers that only we could wear. So, all 7 of us went to find them. After we found them all, we decided that we should put them on. We did, and there was this huge blast of light and speed, and I felt like I was losing all my powers; my body was all glowing and tingling. Then I crashed next to your house, and now I'm here." She stopped and waited for Geri's response.

Geri looked at her. "Like I said, I believe you. But I doubt anyone else will, like my parents and friends." She looked at the clock. 8:10. "Well, school starts in 50 minutes. I suppose you can come with me, as a foreign exchange student. You can stay with me and share my schedule if you want."

Gali thought about it. "Sure, whatever a foreign exchange student is."

"Well, I think we both could use a little cleaning up before we walk over. I don't take the bus, and that's probably a good thing right now. Here, you can borrow some of my clothes and go in the bathroom. No one will notice, since I don't wear that too often." Geri went in her room and closed the door. Gali went into the bathroom and closed the door. She stared at herself in the mirror. No longer did she have blue armor and chest plates, and her familiar blue mask was gone, along with her new one. Now she had tan skin with ocean blue eyes, a friendly face, and long dark hair with small blue painted braids. _I suppose I'm a human now, like Geri. I guess it's not so bad, if you come out looking like this!_ She smiled and thought to herself. Then she put on the shirt and Capri's, and tackled the tooth brushing.

20 minutes later, both girls finished cleaning up and were ready to leave. Geri packed 2 lunches and grabbed 2 granola bars. "Breakfast," she said, handing one to Gali. "Mom leaves for work early and comes back late, and Dad is away on a study leave, so we have the house to ourselves this afternoon. How did the brushing go?" she asked Gali. Gali smiled. "It was easy, its like it came naturally to me, though I've never done it before."

"It must come with being a human, like many other things, " said Geri. "Look, we better head to school and tell the counselor that you're a foreign exchange student staying at my house." With that they headed of to school. On the way, they ran into some stalkers who kept smooching at them and harassing them until Geri furiously smacked them and told them to buck off and some other colorful language. They continued on to school when Gali said, "If I had my water powers, they'd be soaking wet, and they wouldn't bother us again."

Geri sighed. "Its just part of the normal teenage life, Gali. Welcome to Earth." They walked up to the counselor's office with 20 minutes before the bell would ring, starting school and a new adventure Gali.

Author's Note: Like it so far? I'm sorry if you don't. Please bear with me, I have big plans for this story and it will be getting better. It's just that I can't write intros very well. Please review!


	3. Character Info

This is the basic info for the teenagers that encounter the Toa, and they are the people the Toa stay with for their time on Earth. The Toa coincidentally landed with the humans that they are most like. I do own these people so you cant have them.

And thank you to all the people who reviewed on my last two chapters: Tahalli, fred, scarf, and Regrem Erutaerc. I will keep your suggestions in mind as I write the next chapters. Thank you RE for the info; I always forget to put details in and that's usually where the fault lies.

Name: Geri Varner

Age/Grade: 14, 8th grade

Caretaker of Gali

Geri is one of the friendliest people attending Old Mesa Middle School, and she knows it. She is kind, compassionate, fun loving, and she knows how to keep her cool in a hard time. A hard worker and thinker, Geri is a member of NJHS and many other clubs. She is friends with Thorn, Parker, and Lan, and Owen, and considers it her duty to make sure Thorn behaves properly and doesn't kill anyone, because he just might someday, being a bully and all. This trait is what she and Gali have in common.

Name: Tommy "Thorn" Browning

Age/Grade: 15, 9th grade

Caretaker of Tahu

Thorn has a reputation for being hotheaded and argumentative. All this is true. At Old Mesa, he's a 9th grader and one of the oldest kids in the school, so he likes reminding everybody of it, and he likes canning the tiny little 7th graders. (If you're in 7th grade, please don't be offended) Thorn is not just brawns, though. He is also smart and athletic, a true jock, and he's on the football team. Thorn is his nickname, anyone who calls him Tommy gets canned like a 7th grader. Tahu has finally met his match.

Name: Kori Kasanova

Age/Grade: 14, 8th grade

Caretaker of Kopaka

Even though she's one of the quietest people in school, everyone notices her and everyone knows her. An active member of NJHS and NAL and a straight-A student, Kori prefers to be alone and to be involved in school than with friends. She's usually friendly, but made enemies with Thorn on the first day of school, and has since become shy and reserved. Occasionally she will become frustrated with herself and become nasty to anyone in a 7 feet radius. She has ash-blonde hair and downcast light blue eyes. She and Lan secretly like each other, though Kori is too shy to admit it, and Lan is afraid of losing his popularity if he hangs out with her. How sad! Kopaka is surprised at her icy boldness because it reminds him of his own.

Name: Lan (Orlando) Watson

Age/Grade: 14, 8th grade

Caretaker of Lewa

No one knows how to have a good time like Orlando, or Lan, as he is known. He' s bold and courageous, feisty and foolish. He and Parker are best friends. Together they play pranks on girls they like (even Kori), hang out often, and together have been to the principal's office too many times to count. Lan is somewhat of a ladies' man, with brown hair and puppy-like almost black eyes. He does know when to settle down though, because he wants to get good grades so he can go to an electronics school and become a computer programmer/ video game designer. He and Lewa get along quite well.

Name: Parker Emerson

Age/Grade: 14, 9th

Caretaker of Pohatu

His real name was Emerson Parker, but nobody calls him that except for his parents. This guy is one pig partier, and his best friend is Lan Watson. Parker's on the Track team at Old Mesa, and he is one heck of a runner. He is an all-around friendly person who loves French fries dipped in ice cream (come on, who doesn't?). His idea of a good time, however, is hanging out with his best friend Lan and other best friend Owen at some weird science fiction movie like _Revenge of the Cheese _or something like that. Parker wants to become a reality talk show host, but nobody knows why, including me. He also loves to play soccer, which is good because he lives with Pohatu now, who is the Patron of Kolhi, which is like soccer.

Name: Owen Hurley

Age/Grade: 14, 8th

Caretaker of Onua

Owen is smart, easygoing, patient, and athletic. He rarely ever gets mad, but when he does, boy does he get mad! He is quieter than the rest of the 'in-crowd' at school, but they appreciate him for his brains. Owen is usually always serious about school, but every now and then he'll land himself in detention just to show that he can. Owen dreams of becoming a firefighter or working in the military, so education is important to him and he always puts it first before free time. Owen and Onua both think that school is important and nelp each other with their homework, then head over to the movies with Parker and Pohatu, tho Pohatu doesn't know that its Onua, and vice versa. You might think of Owen as the computer geek, but he's not a geek.

Name: Trevor Chandler

Age/Grade:14, 9th grade

Caretaker of Takanuva

Trevor has been an average student all his life. Average grades, average friends. Sometimes he gets moments of popularity when he backtalks at a teacher no one likes, or when he gets the best mile time in Phys Ed. He is a good runner. Then he feels guilty about the backtalking, so he apologizes to the teacher and earns the respect of Geri, who doesn't believe in rudeness. He is however one of the few students who is not an enemy of Thorn, so he does have a small reputation in school. He always is up-to-date on the latest school news, and is often referred to for resources by the jocks and preps. Trevor enjoys hikes and camping and eating sausage pizza, especially with one of his good friends Lan or Owen. This niceness is something he and Takanuva have in common.


	4. A New Day Begins

Author's Note: Here it is! Hope those of you who reviewed are happy. If you're not, email me why, and Ill fix some things.

Thx for all you wonderful reviewers! I'll keep your suggestions in mind as I continue this fic. RE- I would love to talk!

Oh yea, the Toa now have 'human' names… don't confuse them with the humans they live with!

Gali-Molly

Tahu-Toby

Lewa-Luke (Lan tells everyone he's Irish)

Onua-Olson

Takanuva-Troy

Kopaka-Kurt (most think he's from Iceland/Norway)

Pohatu-Pete

Disclaimer: Gosh, I already hate these things… I don't own Bionicle. Happy?

A New Day at Old Mesa

As Geri and Gali approached the councelor's office, so did two brown haired boys, one with astonishingly green eyes. One made a beeline for Geri.

"Hi! Geri, over here!" he called.  
Geri grinned back. "Hey, Lan? How's it going?"

Lan flashed her a blue ribbon smile. "Good! I'm just taking my new buddy "Luke" to the counselors' to get his schedule. He's a foreign exchange student from some country that I forgot the name of. His name's not really Luke, y'know, we just call him that cause everyone might make fun of his other name, which I also forgot." He smiled pathetically.

The other boy started to say "No, my name is-" but was cut off by Geri, who mused, "How coincidental. I have a foreign exchange student too! I really like her. Do you think anyone else does? I wonder if it's like a privilege or something, like only the kids with the most straight A's get to share their home with a foreign kid, or something!"

Lan muttered, "If that's the deal, then I shouldn't have him. I bet Owen does, though."

"yea really." Geri sighed. "Well, come on, Molly, we better go get your schedule before school starts."

The green eyed boy jumped. "Did she just say _Gali?_" he asked.  
Lan blinked. "You mean like your sister you told me about? No, she said Molly."

Still the green-eyed boy pondered over this new information that might hold a clue to finding the other Toa, as he was Lewa.

Kopaka was almost completely sure that black haired bully that he and Kori had nearly escaped from while walking to school was Tahu. If not him, then the blond next to the bully jeering him on. He had to be Tahu.

"Kopaka?" He heard Kori's throaty voice murmur.

"Yea, Kori? What now, more stalkers?"

"Nope. Much worse. It's Thorn." She said coldly.

"Who's he?" Kopaka asked. His sky blue eyes narrowed at the anger in her voice.

"You'll see soon enough, unless he doesn't notice me today, though I doubt that very highly."

She grabbed Kopaka's hand fiercely and dragged him to the front of the school. There were a gang of tough looking 8th and 9th grader there, laughing and yelling at innocent passerby. Then the biggest one saw Kori and grinned. He ran his hand through his thick dark hair and sauntered over to Kori and Kopaka. She tried to ignore him and walk away, but the kid yelled, "Kasanova!"

Kori stopped with her back turned to him. Sighing deeply, she turned and said, "What now, Thorn? I'm trying to get to class before the bell rings."

Thorn smirked. "Ya got 5 minutes, Kori. Besides, you need to lighten up a little bit. You're too serious!" He reached for her shoulders.

She slapped him and said muttered icily, "And you need to cool off, Tommy. Or I'll have you sent to the principal's. Now leave me alone!"

_Exactly what I would have said, _thought Kopaka. He admired Kori's fierceness.

Thorn colored. "Tommy?! Why, you scheming little 8th grader, I'll-" He grabbed her arms.

"No you won't, Thorn! Leave her alone!" shouted a female voice. It came from Geri who emerged from the councelor's office with Gali behind her. Thorn immediately let go of Kori's arms and sauntered over to Geri with a fake smile. "Hey, Geri? I was just reminding this little 8th grader about how to respect her elders."

Kori spat. Then she grabbed Kopaka's arm and rushed inside the school.

Thorn scowled at her, then turned back to Geri. "She's still learning."

Geri ignored him. "If you haven't forgotten, Thorn, **I'm** in 8th grade too. Why must you bully everybody?"

Thorn blushed. "Hey, I was just showing my here friend 'Toby' how life is like at Old Mesa Middle School. He's a foreign exchange student." A red head boy grinned from behind him. The boy had tan skin and red brown eyes that looked like they could glare anyone down.

Geri smiled and said, "Hi, Toby. I'm Geri, and this is Molly. She's also a foreign exchange student. It seems like everyone has them, doesn't it, Thorn?"

Thorn replied, "Yea, really, even Kasanova's got one. I saw him with her when they came up the street. Looked like some North European or something, I swear they could be related." He patted Toby on the back. "Don't worry, my friend. Kasanova's no threat."

"Her name's Kori, Thorn; and she is really nice once you get to know her. But you keep on harassing her, so you can't know her well!" retorted Geri.

Thorn, however, paid no attention. "Parker!" he called to someone approaching behind Geri and 'Molly'. A tall big guy with sandy hair came running up to them, along with a limber brown haired kid clutching a soccer ball.

"Hey, guys! Sorry I'm late, Pete here wanted to play a little soccer before we left, so we missed the bus, and we had to walk here. Run is more like it. Man, Pete can run, dude! I mean, once I said we might be late for school, he's like 'says you' and takes off running down the street, like a missile or something. I never saw someone run so fast. I said he should join the Track team, but Pete won't listen." Parker grinned at the brown haired kid.

Pete blushed and looked down sheepishly. "Well, I can't help it, I'm just a fast minded person, and I like running and stuff…"

Parker smiled again. "Exactly why I said you should join the track team!"

The bell rang. Kids started filing inside the brown adobe building slowly. The group looked at each other. "Well," said Geri, "come on, Molly. You'll stick with me today. Homeroom: Phys. Ed." The girls went in the school.

Parker looked at Pete. "Same here. Just do as I do, and you'll be fine. My first hour is Sculpture and Ceramics, which I hate, but maybe you'll like it." They followed the girls.

Thorn started walking inside as well, with Toby following close behind.

"My homeroom is Shop. Mr. Firenze is a devil, I swear. Just try to listen and do a good job, and he won't hate you like he does the rest of us," Thorn explained.

Toby nodded fiercely. "Shop. Intro Tech. Sounds good to me!" he said.

The two minute bell rang as the last students ran inside the school building hoping not to be late.

A/N: hope you like it so far; I dont know if it will turn out to be a TahuGali fic, so far its a GeriThorn fic. Keep reviewing!


	5. Art Class

Chapter Five

Art Class

A/N: Well, here it is! Sorry it took so long, I've been busy writing other stories and backgrounds for random characters. I do have a DevArt account, so in a bout a month or hopefully less I might post some artwork up relating to this story (i.e. the Toa in their human forms). Thanks again to all you kind reviewers and even if you weren't so kind, I thank you for even reviewing. So here's chapter 5!

Mrs. Tyler, the Sculpture and Ceramics teacher, was as old as time itself, or so her pupils thought. She was old, half blind and talked very loudly. The half blindness didn't stop her from being a stickler about payin' attention, and she could tell if you were slacking off a mile away. But she was a very easy teacher. I mean that it was easy for you to get A's in her class, so lots of kids liked her.

Parker did not. His idea of a cool teacher was one of those young, new, pretty teachers who didn't know what she was doing and so needed "advice" from her students. Like the English teacher, Miss Plato.

Anyway, he figured that having Pete in his SC homeroom would be fun. His friend Owen also had this class, but he often came in late from Honor Society meetings. Mrs. Tyler handed everyone a huge lump of clay and instructed them to sculpt the first thing they thought of. Parker was blank, as usual. Many other kids stared at their clay as if hoping it would sculpt itself, while the art freaks were madly sculpting strange figures. Some were throwing lumps of clay at each other. Parker turned to Pete to ask for inspiration then gasped when he saw Pete's sculpture. It was in the form of what Parker thought to be an exotic looking Halloween mask but what Pete knew to be his old Kanohi mask. "Whoa Pohatu," Parker blurted out. "Is that your old mask you told me about, when you were a Toa?"

"Shh!" Pete hissed at him, or should I say 'Pohatu.' "Yes, it is, but Mrs. Tyler did say to sculpt the first thing that came to mind, right?"

Parker nodded. "Well, this is what's on my mind. I sure do miss having that old mask on," his voice dropped down to a whisper so other tables wouldn't hear, " and running at super speeds and breakin' stuff." He stopped, lost in a reverie.

"SIR!" cracked a loud voice.

He looked warily up into the squinty eyes of Mrs. Tyler. "Uh, yes, Mrs. Tyler?" he asked.

"How many times do I have to tell –cough, wheeze- you to pay –gasp- attention?!"

Pete/ Pohatu tried to remember what parker had told him earlier, about the right things to say to a teacher and stuff. "Umm.. lots of times, Mrs. Tyler?"

Some students laughed, but not Mrs. Tyler. "Wrong- cough- answer, sir! I – but wait just a minute, -wheeze- what is that you've sculpted? Show it to the class, dearie."

Parker gasped and Pohatu looked embarrassed. "Its not that good, Mrs. Tyler. I'm..not a good sculptor, Mrs. Tyler," but she ignored him. Taking it to the front of the class, she announced that Pete had won the honor of being Sculptor of the Day, which in that setting was a minor honor. She placed his mask sculpture on her front display table, dubbing it "Halloween Mask". And then everyone went back to their work.

The front door opened, and a short, thin kid with messy hair and wide eyes rushed in holding his binder upside down, followed by another kid, this one tall and muscular with shoulder-length black hair and lime green eyes which were looking everywhere at everything.

Parker looked up from his sculpture, "Potato Eye" and called, "Hey, Owen, over here!"

The short kid nodded to him and then went to Mrs. Tyler. "Sorry I'm late, Mrs. Tyler. I had a Honor Society meeting and we lost track of time."

The teacher nodded absent-mindedly and mumbled, "Yes, sir, whatever. You can still make a sculpture."

Owen grimaced. "Why'd I ever take this class… I mean, oh, sure, I'd love to," he said with hurried politeness and hurried over to the back table where Parker and Pohatu were sitting. The dark haired boy was staring transfixed at Pohatu's sculpture, looking at it from all angles and softly touching it. Then he followed Owen over to the back table and sat down next to him, saying nothing but continuing to look at the mask. Mrs. Tyler handed Pohatu another hunk of clay and he accepted eagerly. Parker hoped he wouldn't sculpt another thing from his home world, Mata Nui or whatever. He didn't like that the dark haired companion of Owen kept staring at it. But Pohatu had already begun a similar figure, this one resembling a soccer field but with huge slanting walls and a large amphitheater. There were miniscule figures in the field with poles like hockey sticks; a small ball was sitting in the cuplike end of one of the sticks. When done, Pohatu sat back and sighed, admiring his artwork. Owen and Parker looked on in amazement at his speed and artistic talent; the dark haired boy now stared transfixed at the soccer field.

"Who's your friend?" Parker asked Owen.

"Owen looked back at him. "His name's Olson. It's actually Onua, but we figured that he'd get teased for that. Y' know, the weird thing is, he's a foreign exchange student and all, but he didn't come with any clothes or registration slips or anything like that. He just landed on my doorstep, literally!"

Parker got suspicious. "Same here!" he breathed quietly. "That's what happened with Pete, or Pohatu, here. And here's what else.."

The two boys told each other everything they knew and thought about the two mysterious "foreign exchange students", knowing they could trust each other with these secrets. Both were confused, however. Just how many more of these 'Toa' were there at Old Mesa?

Meanwhile, Pohatu and Olson/Onua were having a silent conversation on the other side of the table. Pohatu, bored, kept moving the little clay figures around on the soccer field, and Onua watched him with interest in his lime green eyes.

Then he said slowly, "How did you sculpt that?"

Confused, Pohatu/Pete replied, "What do you mean?"

" You know, the idea for the Kolhi field and such. Where did you find that?"

Pohatu stared at him. Taken aback, he asked tentatively, "Wait- did you say _Kolhi field_?"

Onua nodded.

"How did you know about Kolhi? I thought here it was known as soccer!"

"How did _you_ know about Kolhi?"

They stopped. "Who are you?" Pete said with suspicion.

Onua thought for a minute. Then he locked eyes with Pohatu. "You will never believe me if I told you. You would think that it was all my imagination if I told you."

"No, just tell me! I won't laugh."

Sighing, Onua continued. "Well, back at my old homeland, I was known as Onua Nuva, Toa of Earth. Here I am simply known as Olson. I am looking for my brothers and sister who also became lost to me and are somewhere out there. You probably don't believe me, right?"

Pohatu could've yelled with pleasure. At last he had found another Toa, another brother!

Instead he grinned at Onua's confused and stern face and said happily, "Then, Onua, would it please you to know that I am Pohatu Nuva, who you've been looking for?"

Onua's lime green eyes lit up with joy. Restraining himself, he grinned back. "I should've known. A Kanohi mask exactly like yours and a Kolhi field. Clues everywhere. Did you do it on purpose?"

"Well, sort of. I was hoping someone familiar would recognize it, and you did." Replied Pohatu.

"Nothing escapes the keen eyes of Onua Nuva," declared Onua proudly.

"What's going on?" interrupted Parker and Owen suddenly. "The bell's gonna ring soon."

Pohatu and Onua glanced at each other. They filled their companions in on what had happened, and became all happy again.

Parker smiled. "Well, at least me and Owen are friends, otherwise this wouldn't have happened so easily or at all. How many more relatives do ya have to find?"

"5 more. Already counted ourselves," commented Pohatu. "I wonder. That Thorn kid had someone with him, someone you say wasn't here before, right?"

Parker nodded. Owen replied. "But, it would seem obvious and strange to just all of a sudden have a new kid with you when 6 other people do at the same time, wouldn't it?"

Everyone thought this over. "If that's the case," said Pohatu, "then we should have almost no trouble at all finding the others. We just have to look around for kids with 'foreign exchange students', and soon we'll find the other Toa!"

"But that's where _almost no trouble_ comes in. It won't be that easy,"warned Onua.

With that the bell rang, ending first period and the start of 2nd period adventures to come along.

A/N: sorry this chapter was short and only had Pohatu and Onua in it. I promise that eventually all the Toa will have their own chapters where each of them excels at something different. Please review!


	6. Softball Practice

Chapter 6

Baseball Practice

Author's Note: Here it is again. I won't tell you what happens, except that most of this chapter will have Takanuva in it, since we haven't seen much of him in a while. And some Tahu. There will, as you will see, be a little romance because some girls are gonna like how Takanuva looks as a human…

Disclaimer: Bionicle is not mine, might never be.

"STRIKE THREE!" hollered the ump. The disappointed batter threw his bat on the dirt and shuffled back to the dugout. Everyone clapped him on the back, except for Thorn. "The dude was swinging like a girl," he said scornfully to Toby/ Tahu. Tahu didn't answer, but continued staring straight at the baseball game. It was guys vs. girls, and the girls were doing much better than the guys were. They seemed really supportive and non-competitive. "Then why are they losing and we're winning?" he objected to Thorn. Thorn scowled. "Its because they're cheating when they play." He ended the subject. Tahu was still confused about this whole baseball thing. It was nothing like kolhi, and everyone yelled at you if you made a mistake, which angered him. He had been the only person on their team to score a point so far, and he noticed that some of the girls were staring at him. This pleased him because he had detected a hint of jealousy in Thorn when he told him this. Perhaps being a human wasn't so bad.

2 rows away from Tahu and Thorn sat Trevor and Takanuva/ Trey. Trevor had coached Takanuva in all the best baseball tactics, and Trey was still nervous. He hadn't gotten used to this human thing yet. And it was only 2nd period. They still had 4 more hours to go.

"Hey, Trey, you're up!" announced Trevor loudly. "Bring us a home run!" All the other guys agreed with him, patting him on the back, saying he was their last chance or the chicks win and other stuff that guys say. (I wouldn't know, I'm not a guy) Takanuva nervously walked up to the plate and picked up the bat. He patted the plate like Trevor had said to, and swung it around for good measure. Then he posed like Trevor had said to also. The girl pitcher giggled. Then he became serious and took his batting stance. The pitcher made a few signals to the catcher, and then she threw back her arm and heaved the ball forward to Takanuva.

It came closer and out of instinct and fear he swung the bat in front of him as hard and as fast as possible. The ball bounced off the bat and soared up into the air and literally flew for a hundred feet before landing on the other side of the fence of the baseball field. The girl players gawked at him and at the fence, as if not believing a gawky blond boy could do that. Takanuva was ecstatic; he could hear the other guys coming up to him and cheering and slapping him on the back and congratulating him on his home run. "It was a home run? Did we win?" he asked excitedly. Trevor nodded. "You bet we won. You might have broken a world record or something with that hit!"

Suddenly the girl pitcher walked over to Takanuva and smiled. "Nice shot. What's your name?"

"Uh, Trey." He answered nervously.

"Well, nice shot ,Trey. You should go out for the baseball team sometime. I'll be practicing." With that she and the rest of the girls team walked back to their locker rooms to change. Takanuva didn't know whether to be excited or confused. Trevor grinned again. "You, my friend, have made friends with the most popular girl in school, Sara Miler. I think she was flirting with you back there."

"Really? You think she likes me?" Takanuva asked.

"Duh! Of course she likes you! It was totally obvious, the way she said it and all. If I were you, I would go out for the baseball team. No one else is as good as you, period."

"I'll think about it."

They followed the rest of the boys back to their locker room to clean up before the 2nd period lunch bell rang.

Later that day, Takanuva wandered through the halls with Trevor to get to 3rd period. He saw Sara again, surrounded by her friends and Thorn, and the red head kid with Thorn. He smiled at Sara, hoping she would notice. She did, and smiled back. She and her friends giggled as they walked past, but Thorn glared at him. "Looks like you might be invading on Sara, according to Thorn," mumbled Trevor, who saw the whole thing. "No biggie. Thorn will be with some other girl by tomorrow at the least." He grabbed Takanuva's hand as they headed toward their next class, English.

A/N:hehe, a lil romance never hurt..Btw,if you've ever watched the first Bionicle movie, you'll realize that Sara is like Hahli, the rival/friend of Takua, Takanuva's former self. Just thought that might be interesting.


	7. Come on In, the Water's Fine

Chapter Seven

Physical Education

A/N: I dearly and desperately apologize for taking so long on this next chapter…I've been sick lately, and I had a major writing block, but I got better and I thank Regrem Erutearc for lending me some cool ideas! I will hopefully be more current now, with this fic writing and my ongoing story at school w/ my friends, things have been busy, which is something I'm used to. There is a small list of spoilers at the bottom: If you don't wanna see them, then don't read them!

Disclaimer: See any previous chapters

PHEEEET! The coach's whistle blew shrill and loud, and everybody groaned and covered their ears. It was 3rd period Phys. Ed, and everyone was already wanting to go home. It was that time of day when all you wanted to do was eat lunch. 1st lunch was next hour though, so there wasn't much waiting.

It was swimming unit, being May and all (well, they're in AZ, so in May it starts getting hot), so the water was fine. Everyone was going to take the swimming test to see which group they'd be put in: Beginning, Intermediate, High, or Advanced. Only a few really athletic people ever got Advanced; most everybody was happy with Intermediate.

"Yo! Browning and new kid! Get in line!" hollered the boys' coach, Coach Siper (rhymes with viper). "Sure, whatever you say, Coach!" Thorn replied congenially as he grabbed his red haired friend's hand and pulled him to one side of the pool. The girls were doing their laps on the left half of the pool, near the deep end, and the boys were nearer the shallow end. It was quite a small pool. Thorn whistled at a few girls as he passed them, winking at them and grinning. They blushed and grinned back.

"Boy, swimming is my favorite unit," said Thorn gleefully as Tahu was just saying grumpily, "Darn it, I HATE the water." Thorn looked at him in surprise. "You can't swim?" he asked incredulously. "Of course I can swim! I used to lava surf often, remember? And lava is much more dangerous than water!" "than why do you hate the water?" Thorn insisted. "Because…because I was the Toa of Fire, and water doesn't exactly get along with fire if you get my point." Thorn nodded slowly. "Oh yeah, now I get why you always dump water on campfires to put them out before you leave!"

"Yes," said Toby irritably. "I will make a fool of myself!"

"Nah, you won't. You're a cool kid, everyone likes you. I mean, hey, some people just get beginning cause it's easier than the others. You could pretend to do that!"

"And look weak? Heck no! I'll try to do good," raged Tahu. But as he looked down at the warm, aqua water, he became nervous. "Don't look up…now…now! Look directly in front of you across the pool!" Thorn was saying excitedly from their spot in the back of the line.

Tahu looked up and saw, in the middle of a group of girls, the same friendly girl, Geri, from that morning in front of the school. Her bleach blonde hair looked so good with her lime green striped one-piece bathing suit. Even better looking, or so Tahu thought, was the bright-brown haired girl behind Geri. The girl was tall and thin, but not a stick. She had a neon blue bubble-printed swimsuit on, and it really complimented her figure. "She's pretty, isn't she?" Tahu heard himself murmur. "Yeah, but Geri's mine, so hands off!" Thorn joked. "No…the girl behind her," Tahu said. Thorn looked. "Oh, that's what's her name…Geri's foreign exchange student, Molly, I think her name is. From California, I think. She was with Geri this morning." "I remember," said Tahu slowly.

"Dude, are you like, in love now?"

"So what if I am?" snapped Tahu.

Thorn put up his hands in a sign of surrender. "No biggie. She is a pretty one, sure. You just never seemed like the sort of romantic-type person before."

He was right. As a Toa, Tahu had never felt this strange emotion called love. It was yet another puzzle of the human world he had to solve. But this puzzle seemed very…sweet and inviting, somehow, and he rather liked the sound of this love thing…

"Toby! It's almost your turn!"

Tahu jumped, and sure enough, he was on the edge of the concrete, and the water was in front of him. "Just try to stay in your lane, and do the best you can. Remember, there are girls watching us, and 7th grade buys, so just don't drown!" "Of course I won't drown!" Tahu said indignantly. "I'll just do really bad…"

"Hey! Go! It's your turn! Do freestyle!" Thorn shouted at him as the other lines of boys jumped into their lanes and splashed into the water. Toby looked nervously at the water, then jumped in and took off after the others. He quickly reviewed how to do a freestyle. On Mata Nui they never had names for these sort of things, and swimming had always been Gali's area of expertise. Snapping back to the present, he realized that he was last. He pumped his arms and kicked his legs, trying not to swallow too much of the water. It wasn't even warm; it was cold as if it had been sitting on Mount Ihu for a while, Tahu thought angrily.

"Go, go go! Come on, you can do it! Almost there!"

Tahu looked up while trying not to stop swimming. He saw the girls, mostly Geri and her friend Molly, cheering for them on the opposite side of the pool. Filled with determination, Toby finished his freestyle and then did another 2 more before stopping. Thorn climbed exhaustedly out of the pool and sat next to Tahu. "You did good, dude, for a guy who hates the water." "They were cheering for us," murmured Tahu. "The girls? I heard 'em. We can watch them do their swim tests after we get our scores," replied Thorn. "Sure."

Thorn and Tahu had both gotten Intermediate, which was the average for most kids. A few others got High, some beginning, and 2 got Advanced. "Lan would probably get Advanced; he's got so much energy, and that's what you need in that group," Thorn muttered.

They watched the girls do their swim tests. Rather, they watched the girls. Two-pieces were against dress code, so the guys couldn't see what they wanted to see, but guys shouldn't be thinking naughty thoughts anyway…Thorn kept gushing about how great Geri looked when she did her backstroke, which was a really hard maneuver. He seemed to talk differently about her then to her face, like he had that morning. Tahu watched Molly. She seemed to really like the water, and did all her moves perfectly, and looked disappointed when they all had to get out of the pool. "I'm gonna go ask Geri what she got," said Thorn abruptly, and sauntered over to the other side of the pool. Tahu followed, for no reason in particular. Some girls nervously avoided Thorn when he approached the girls' group, but others greeted him with a daring smile. Thorn and Toby walked over to Geri and Molly where they were discussing their scores with their coach.

"Congratulations, Geri," the girls' coach, Coach Purcel was telling her, "you got High. Good work on your backstroke."

"Exactly what I was going to say," said Thorn cheerily. Geri saw him and smiled, but nothing else. "Hi Thorn," she said. "What'd you get?"

Thorn sighed dramatically. "Alas, I and Toby here hath only landed in Intermediate, unlike the wonderful Geri, who hath landed thyself in High," he intoned in crude old English.

Geri smiled. "Well, Intermediate isn't so bad. It's what most people get. I was just sick of getting in that group like last semester and the year before. Nice job, Toby," she said to Tahu. He blushed without meaning to and continued staring at Molly, who was getting her score. She looked happy and then walked over to Geri. "I got a perfect score, and I got in Advanced!" she said in a soft but excited voice. "Good job! See, I told you swimming would be fun for you," Geri congratulated her. Saying good-bye to Thorn, they went back to Geri's little clique and stood there chattering while some girls still finished their swim tests.

When the last girl got out, she stood up and shook the water out of her hair expertly, then combed throught it with her fingers. She then looked at her hand. Shrieking suddenly, she cried out, "My bracelet! My charm bracelet from my older sister in Germany! It's in the pool!" Some girls went over to her anxiously, grabbing her wrist and looking into the water. Geri and Molly walked over to them, and Geri looked in the water closely. "I don't see it, Lara. I think it's lost for good."

It was unlike Geri to be so negative.

The guys had started walking back to their locker rooms to shower, but Thorn and Toby stayed to wait for Geri and Molly. "If Gali were here, she could get that bracelet back in a second," Tahu muttered.

Coach purcel had sufficiently tried to comfort Lara, but the girl still sobbed. "It was my birthday gift from my sister in Germany! I loved that bracelet!" she wailed.

Molly, or as you might have known Gali, stood patiently next to Geri. She knew something had to be done about the situation, though it was not usually in her position to take charge of such things. But since her brothers were not here, she had to do something.

"I'll-I'll find your bracelet, Lara. I'll try, at least," she offered.

Lara's eyes widened. "You will? You'll try?"

"Sure."

Lara smiled warmly. "Good luck. I think I lost it somewhere over there," and she pointed at some spot.

Geri came over and whispered something in Gali's ear. "Just don't make yourself too-conspicuous. You told me you used to be the Toa of Water, and I don't want any floods coming out of the pool or something."

"I don't plan on it. I think I lost all my powers when I became a human," said Gali sadly.

"Still-be careful." Geri finished and stood back. Some of the girls got bored and left for their showers. Gali took a deep breath and did a headfirst dive into the pool.

The water felt so cool and refreshing after this dry weather. She had so enjoyed doing the swim test but didn't want to get out of the pool. She swam around freely before remembering her intent. She went to the sopt Lara had mentioned and looked around. The bracelet wasn't there. Suddenly, the rays of sun caught something glimmering near the deep end. Gali followed it, and saw a small jeweled strand of beads at the bottom of the deep end. She skillfully pushed her arms forward and down to fetch the bracelet.

At the surface, everyone was worried. "She's been down there an awful long time," said Thorn anxiously. "How ong can humans stay underwater?" Tahu asked. Thorn stared off into space, then looked grim. "Not this long. About1 minute, I think, or your lungs explode."

Tahu gulped. Explode? If only Gali where there!

"Someone get her out! She could drown!" yelled Coach Purcel. A teacher's aide nodded and jumped in.

Gali had approached the bracelet and grabbed it, but didn't want to go back up just yet. The deep end. She had seen much deeper waters back on Mata Nui. Sighing, she started swimming up when strong hands grabbed her and pulled her up.

They reached the surface of the water. The girl who had grabbed Gali was breathing hard, but Gali was fine, not panting at all. The girl for some reason wouldn't let go of Gali until they got to the shallow end steps.

"Are you crazy? You were under for a full 5 minutes! Maybe more, I think!" the girl was saying. "You could have drowned!"

"I feel fine," Gali said, but just then Lara and Geri ran over. "What were you thinking?"Geri exclaimed. "Did you get my bracelet?" Lara asked hopefully.

Gali dangled the bracelet above her head between her fingers. She handed it to Lara. "It wasn't a problem, really. It was only in the deep end."

Lara squealed happily, hugged her, then ran off to show it to her friends. The rest of the girls then left to take their showers. The girl who'd grabbed Gali had left along with the coach, casting strange glances at Gali.

Geri and Gali wandered back to their lockers.

"What happened under there?"

"Nothing really!"

"You were under there for over 5 minutes!"

"So?"

"The average human can only stay underwater for about 1 minute!"

Gali had not considered this. "Oh. I didn't think of that. But, Geri, it was like I was back on Mata Nui, I was _breathing in _the water, like a fish does. I used to be able to stay under for maybe an hour or more."

Geri coughed. "Well, just don't do it again. Or someone will get suspicious." They walked back to their lockers in discussion.

Someone had gotten suspicious. "Impossible! She was under for 5 minutes!" Thorn spluttered. Tahu was deep in thought. If what Thorn had said was correct, no normal human could stay underwater for more than 1 or 2 minutes. Then what had just happened clashed horribly with the laws of physics! Who could Molly really be, to be able to stay underwater for 5 minutes and perhaps more? Tahu considered this as they went to go take their showers before lunch.

A/N: Yes, it's a long chapter…but did you like it? Then review! I'm so happy you guys all like it, I was worried when I started writing this no one would like it.

Spoilers: They're not really spoilers, just hints, and this is the planned order!

Chapter 8: Kopaka! (school ice-skating trip)

Chapter9: Onua! (wrestling match)

Chapter 10: Lewa! (I don't know yet)

Chaper 11: Perhaps Tahu, he doesn't really have his own chap yet!


	8. Competition

Chapter 8

Competition and Suspicion

A/N: Sorry once again that I took so long…these darn writing blocks are becoming more frequent. And that Toa meet DR story is just a story I created so when I am stuck on this one, I can still do something Bionicle-ish. And to the person who commented that Kopaka was your favorite Toa (ceestar, I believe), I totally agree with you on that one! And to anybody who helped me get back on track with this chapter, you know who you are. Thx! Oh yeah…I was wanting to do a Spring Dance chapter, so it will be the one after this chap, than it'll be time for Onua. And now…

"Alright, let's load up the vans! We have to be there in 2 hours!" shouted the assistant principal, Mr. Gilbert. He and the other few teachers who were going along on the school's Snowfall Peaks field trip headed toward a small bus. The large group of kids headed toward the charter busses to load up their snow gear.

"So where are we going again?" Kopaka/Kurt asked Kori as they boarded a charter bus. She went straight to the middle and chose a seat right in front of a TV. "This is a school-wide field trip," she answered absently, "and we're going to a ski resort called Snowfall Peaks. It's in Flagstaff."

_Skiing_, huh? Kopaka thought. I think I can certainly manage _that_. He wistfully remembered the days when he used to ski up and down the slopes of Mount Ihu…

"Attention, students!" boomed a loud voice over a megaphone. As more kids boarded the bus and settled down, a teacher came on as well. Kopaka vaguely remembered her as the American Studies teacher, Mrs. McKee. Finally all the students were quiet.

"Now," Mrs. McKee continued, "I am going to be your group leader for this trip. You can go do whatever you want when we arrive at Snowfall, as long as you are with somebody and follow school and resort rules. If you are hurt or in trouble, come get me or send your buddy to find me. I know that you aren't children anymore," she said, glaring at some 9th graders in the back, "but this is just to ensure that everyone has a good time on this field trip. You do remember what happened last year, right Thorn?"

Thorn, Toby, and their friends all laughed, and so did some other kids. Obviously, the previous field trip had not been a very good one, in the eyes of the teachers.

"Great, _he's_ in our group," Kori murmured, and proceeded to hide behind the seat in front of her. Kopaka glanced behind him and saw Thorn and his group, along with that broad-shouldered redhead kid; he assumed he was just another exchange student. Kopaka, unlike Kori, had never had personally encountered Thorn before, but he disapproved of the 9th grader's "Mr. Superior Tough Guy" attitude because it reminded him of Tahu.

"Okay, everyone settle down! We're leaving the school now, so any last minute things should be taken care of VERY QUICKLY!" The loud voice of Mrs. McKee reminded everybody. When nobody got off, she sat down on a seat in the front and muttered to the driver. He started up the engine, and the kids' chatter resumed its cheerful dull roar. After all of the buses in front of theirs had taken off, the bus lurched forward and pulled out of the parking lot.

There were about 60 kids on the charter bus. Thorn, Toby, and their group sat near the friendly girl Geri and her exchange student, Molly. Then there was the class clown Lan, and his exchange student Luke. Lastly, nearby, there was the brainy Owen and the confident Parker, and their exchange students Olson and Pete. Another friend of Thorn's, Trevor was on another bus, along with his exchange student Trey. Kopaka thought it a bit odd for there to be 7 people to have exchange students, and seven Toa…but he didn't give much thought to that matter.

Only Kopaka and Kori were quiet; neither of them felt the urge to fill the silence with needless conversation. Finally Kori became bored and, reaching into her knapsack, she pulled out a large fantasy novel and began to read, while Kopaka, for lack of nothing better to do, read over her shoulder. Both of them had become very involved in the story's plot (which involved a young girl getting kidnapped by airship pirates and escaping on a rebel dragon) when someone threw a large wad of paper at Kori. Startled and embarrassed, she dropped the book on the floor. Kopaka looked around for the suspect, grabbed the wad of paper and glared at Thorn, who had a look of feigned innocence. Kori turned a bright shade of red, and everyone at the back of the bus giggled, only deepening the shade of red. Parker chuckled softly. "Sorry," Thorn apologized dramatically with no hint of sincerity, "my aim isn't too great. I was aiming for her," and he pointed at a random girl in front of Kori. "Whatever you say, Thorn," Kori muttered. Her voice was deadly quiet. She picked up her book and continued to read.

Feeling somewhat annoyed by Thorn's attitude, Kopaka clenched the paper ball, infusing it with his will, and then hurled it at the 9th grader. The surrounding people in the back of the bus looked startled that someone would even dare to challenge Thorn like that. Thorn shouted in pain; Kopaka surmised he was being overdramatic. Parker, Lan, and Owen looked over from their seats in surprise. Geri looked confused.

"OWW! That bites man! That was freakin' cold! Geez…" He rubbed the spot on his arm where the ball had hit him. Toby, the redhead next to Thorn, observed the pale spot on Thorn's arm. It was as cold as ice. So was the ball of paper, which felt like it had been encased in a thin layer of jagged ice. "I wonder," Toby/Tahu said suspiciously, and glared at Kurt/Kopaka. Kopaka glared back at him; his gaze sent chills through the redhead's body. His suspicions had been formed. Molly and Olson looked thoughtful; Pete and Lan amazed and thoughtful. (Hint hint)

"Alright, settle down back there!" It was Mrs. McKee and her megaphone. "I'll be putting in a movie now, so quiet down a little!" A vote was taken on which movie to watch (remember, these are charter buses, they have TVs), and the winner ended up being _Napoleon Dynamite_. Kori groaned and went back to her book. Seeing Kopaka's perplexed stare, she explained, "That movie is the stupidest movie I have ever seen. I would rather watch Thorn do ballet then see this again." Kopaka did not know what to answer; Kori had been pretty firm on her opinion of the movie. So the movie was popped in, and as most of the kids laughed and talked, Kori and Kopaka continued to read the fantasy novel.

Finally, 2 hours later, the busses arrived in Flagstaff; specifically, Snowfall Peaks Skiing Resort. Although it was getting to be summer in Mesa, in Flagstaff (and Pinetop, for that matter) it was still snowing often. The busses pulled into the parking lot, and kids got out and unloaded their snow gear. Kori was using her own, but Kopaka was using Kori's older brother's snow gear since he obviously had none of his own. Mrs. McKee called another group huddle. "Now, I'm your group leader for this trip. I will be wandering around the ski lifts and food courts today, so if you have any problems, just come and find me. The only rules are: Don't abuse your field trip privileges, be nice to the other skiers, and always stay with a buddy. Okay? Okay, you can go get in line now." The kids all ran to the little check-in station to get wristbands then headed out to the ski lifts, the sledding hills, or the ice rink. "Where do you want to go?" Kori asked. Kopaka shrugged. Anyone of those activities suited him perfectly. So Kori headed toward the skating rink.

There, they got their skates on and warmed up a little on the edges of the ice. Kopaka felt exceedingly happy to be somewhere cold again; all the dry, hot weather in Mesa had been making him unusually irritable. Kori told him that she was terrible at skating and anything to do with balance, but that he didn't have to skate with her the whole time. He felt somewhat obliged to stay with her (though he was a much better skater than she) because she had been very welcoming and friendly to him these past few days. But she shook him off, so he shrugged and skated near the middle. As he slid smoothly over the ice he was well aware that surrounding skaters were eying him with jealously. Soon he got bored and went back to Kori, who was now sitting on a bench reading again. "We can go do something else now," he said, and she nodded, taking off her skates and giving them to him. Sighing, he went back up to the counter to return them, after he had taken off his own skates.

The man behind the counter grinned a catlike smile. "She's a pretty one, she is," he said. Kopaka looked at him sharply. "Your girlfriend, there," the man beckoned to Kori, still sitting on the bench. Kopaka realized what this man was suggesting. "We're just friends," he said shortly. "Oh. Sorry, then. Have a nice day!" The man looked embarrassed, but still smiled catlike. Kopaka ignored him and went back to Kori.

"What now?" she asked, then answered herself. "How about skiing? I've been skiing a couple times." "Sure," Kopaka replied. They left the skating rink and headed toward the ski lifts to get their gear.

Takanuva and Trevor were just returning from their fun at the snowboarding hills, laughing and chattering along with some other girls, including Sara Miler. They had all sat near each other on a charter bus (different than the one all the others had been one), and snowboarded together. Takanuva/ Trey was surprised at how quickly he had made friends at school, and how attached some girls had become to him. He wasn't to sure if it was a good thing, but Trevor assured him that it was in fact a good thing to have popular girls go after you. "Where to now?" Trey asked the group. All the girls shrugged. "I don't really care, but I've been dying to see how you ski," Sara said, grinning. Trevor nodded. "Okay, then. On to the ski lifts!" Takanuva declared with bravado. Laughing, the group made their way to the ski lifts.

Meanwhile, Toby/Tahu, Thorn, Geri, Molly/Gali, and the rest of the gang had been skiing and snowboarding on and off the whole time. "Back to the ski lifts," Tahu muttered grouchily. To him, cold was almost as bad as water. He wished they were back in Mesa, where it was hot and dry. "Cheer up, buddy," Thorn said good-naturedly, "You're not too bad of a skier. You could use some work. Now, that one move you pulled of snowboarding, now that was _real_ talent."

Geri overheard them from a few feet away and called, "Yeah, you could teach us all a few snowboarding tricks of yours!"

Tahu grinned, and then scowled. "Well," he said to Thorn, "I did lava-surf often, and that's kinda like snowboarding. It just comes naturally, I guess."

Molly listened to their conversation without actually meaning to. It suddenly came to her that Toby had said _lava-surf_. Who did she know that _lava-surfed_?

And the other guys were having an interesting conversation involving Lewa/Luke's background. Parker, Pete, Owen, and Olson listened with interest as Lan tried to teach Lewa proper English. (Remember his odd way of speaking?) "Now, say 'travel back', not backtravel." "Backtravel," Luke said automatically, and then turned red. Lan sighed. "I don't think you're going to be able to break him of his habit," Olson said mysteriously, and he and Pete shared a knowing grin.

Lewa sighed in frustration and went over to the Cliffside to watch the skiers. Pete winked at Olson, and they both snuck up on either sides of the green-eyed kid. "Hey, what's up?" Pete/Pohatu asked him casually. Lewa shrugged, obviously bored. "You know, _Lewa_, we've been up to a lot of trouble looking for you." Onua/Olson said, grinning. At that, Lewa jumped and stared at the dark-haired kid. "You called me Lewa," he said quickly.

"Why shouldn't he, brother?" Pohatu added and grinned also. Lewa's face was confused for a second until he, too, grinned. "Pohatu…Onua? It's really you, Toabrothers?"

The other two nodded. Lewa whooped with happiness and gave them both a big group hug, though Onua, not one for large embraces, looked embarrassed.

The other guys looked over at them from their conversation. "What happened?" Lan demanded. "Let's just say that we've only got 4 more Toa to find," Lewa told him happily.

Lan looked at Parker and Owen, who looked at each other. "Ahh…I get it now," Lan said, remembering what Lewa had told him about his 6 other brothers and 1 sister.

"Well, if your other siblings are all at Old Mesa, they're all here at Snowfall Peaks now, because it was a school-wide trip," Owen mused. "And something tells me they're nearby," Onua added. "That sure narrows it down a bit," Pohatu grumbled. "They could be anybody!"

"Not if you know what to look for," Parker said. "You know them better then Lan, Owen and I do."

Geri and Molly/Gali had gone up to the bottom of the cliff where the ski lifts and check-in station were. "I don't really feel like skiing anymore," Geri said, and Gali agreed. "We can just watch the guys go down the mountain." They both handed in their skiing gear and sat down on a bench.

Kori and Kopaka approached the lifts. Geri waved. "Hi, Kori!" she said, and Kori smiled shyly back. She knew Geri from elementary school, but the two had kinda drifted apart when Geri became popular and Kori delved deeper into her studies. Kopaka noticed that that Molly girl was with Geri. Who was that girl whom, he had heard, stayed underwater in the pool for over five minutes (which Kori had said could drown somebody)?

Just then Molly/Gali looked over at Kopaka, and he felt as if she were probing through his mind. He shut her out and gave her his traditional icy glare. Molly sat back and stared at her hands. That glare was all too familiar…

"We're going skiing," Kori was saying. "Are you?"

"No thank you, we've been doing it all morning. Go ahead," Geri said. Kori said good-bye and she and Kopaka went over to the stand to get their skis. "Now you know how to ski, right?" she asked him.

"Of course," Kopaka muttered.

"Good. I've been in Colorado a few times, but I'm a little rusty. You can just go wherever you want on the course, but try to stay in bounds." They went and sat on a lift, and stayed very still the whole time. Kopaka didn't show it, but he was excited to be back in the snow. The ice rink was fine, but it just wasn't the same as good old snow.

Finally they reached the top. Kori pointed down below, where they could see that Thorn and his group had joined Geri and Molly to watch the skiers. "Don't let Thorn discourage you from trying out tricks," she muttered. And they were off.

The course, big as it was, wasn't as big as Mount Ihu. Kopaka sped down the mountainside on his skis, eying the upcoming ramp. He approached it, jumped it, and spun around in a 360. Cake.

He veered left and right in the fresh white snow, careful to avoid the other skiers. He jumped on a ramp and grinded it. Also cake. He skillfully glided over all the ski jumps in his path, as if he was controlling the snow under his feet, and wished for something more…challenging.

Then he saw it. It was already the end of the course, and the last jump was the largest yet. Everyone went over, but few finished off with a nice trick. He would be one of those few, Kopaka told himself confidently. He saw Kori go over with a nice little 360, and finish near Thorn and his group.

Kopaka planned out his move in his head. He would show these humans what real skiing was like. Finally he skied up the ramp and flew high up into the air. It felt even colder up here. He looked down for 1 second and saw the group watching him. Then he spun around in 2 360s. Then a back flip, grabbing his skis with one hand. Than, he did a 180 and another back flip. To finish it off, he did another 180 and flew downward to land in the snow near the lifts. Now that was exhilarating, he thought.

Kori ran over to him. "Oh my gosh…you didn't tell me you were also a professional skier!" she exclaimed breathlessly.

_What did you think being the Toa of Ice meant? _Kopaka thought. "I just like skiing," he said shortly.

Thorn, Geri, and the group came running over them. Geri, Molly, Lan, and the others looked very impressed. Even Toby and Thorn looked impressed, though reluctantly. Geri was about to compliment Kopaka/Kurt when Lan interrupted. "That…was so totally wicked! How did you do that? Are you a professional?" Parker's eyes gleamed. "I've only seen stuff like that in movies!" Owen and Geri nodded.

Thorn strode to the front of the group. "Did you get lessons from a pro?" he asked. Kopaka scowled and shook his head. He had learned not to trust Thorn, but still be coldly polite. Thorn's eyebrows went up. "I like your style, bro," he said, and patted Kopaka on the back in a gesture of respect. Next to him, Toby looked over this Kurt person. Like everyone else had noticed, clearly this person had an impressive skiing background and was familiar with the terrain. And that incident on the bus that morning… He scowled, somewhat jealous. To his surprise, Kurt/Kopaka glared back, sending chills through his body once more. That glare Tahu despised was all too familiar coming from this expert skier. Could it possibly be…

"Toby! Come on, let's head back to the entrance!" Tahu sent another hard look at Kurt, whom he suspected was his rival Kopaka. The look was almost like a challenge, and it was icily returned. Tahu, Thorn, Lan, Lewa, and the others also left the skiing area.

Geri smiled at Kopaka. "Nice skiing," she said, and followed Thorn. Molly only smiled mysteriously, irritating him even more.

Kori and Kopaka returned their ski gear and followed everyone out to the entrance to go somewhere for lunch and then back to school. "How did you learn all that?" Kori asked in admiration. Shrugging, her icy partner replied simply, "After hours and hours of spending time on a cold, ice-covered mountain, I would imagine that you would get good at winter sports," as Kori had called them. Kori shook her head. "You even impressed _Thorn_," she mumbled. "That's one thing studies can't do for me." She said nothing more.

At the entrance, Onua, Lewa, Pohatu, and their caretakers conferred quietly. "You said we'd know what to look for when searching for our brothers and sister," Onua mused out loud. "Well, I think I saw something in Kurt at the ski lifts. I've only seen one person ski like that."

Lewa and Pohatu spoke for him. "Kopaka," they said in unison. "But how do we _know_?" Lewa asked. "Who else skis and glares like that?" Pohatu said. "Did you see the glaring contest he had with that one kind, Toby? It was the same icy stare that I got when I first met our cold brother back on Mata Nui, and I was…" Onua interrupted him. "Yes, I know. It can only be Kopaka."

"So where does this put you now?" Owen asked them. Lewa thought for a moment. "Gali, Tahu, and Takanuva. That's who's left."

"Water, Fire, and Light," Pohatu muttered.

Soon, Mrs. McKee came and found them, and told them to board the buses. As all the kids were found and directed back to the parking lot, the charter buses started their engines. "I'm hungry, let's go!" Thorn demanded to no one in particular. Kori and Kopaka were the last to arrive on their bus, and when they did, Geri announced, "Let's have a round of applause for Kurt and his awesome skiing performance today!" Everyone clapped, Kori turned red, and Kopaka quickly found their seats and sat down. The applause died as their leader came on the bus. "Did we have fun today?" she boomed through the megaphone. Everyone cheered. "Good. I'm glad you did. Now who's ready to eat?"

Everyone cheered again. The bus started, Mrs. McKee sat down, and the buses pulled out of Snowfall Peaks and on to some fast-food restaurant.

A/N: Man…that was like my longest chapter ever! So I hope you enjoyed it, and I'm sorry again that it took so long. Please R+R!

Spoiler: Chapter 9: The Spring Dance- all the Toa find each other! And Lewa kicks up the liveliness at the boring spring dance party by 5 notches! Stay tuned!


	9. The Spring Dance

A/N: I am so sorry. I have been having writing blocks quite a bit, and I am also somewhat notorious for being a slow updater. But I still plan on finishing this story, so don't think I abandoned it. (If you have any ideas for future chapters, don't be afraid to email me or review). And kudos to anybody who helped me on this one, you know who you are. - (And to those of you who thought this would be Onua's chap, sorry. He'll be coming in soon, I hope).

Dedicated to Regrem Erutaerc for his many ideas that helped get this chapter up and running! -

The Dance

It was the day of the Old Mesa Spring Fling. Although, it wasn't really spring anymore; it was actually late April.

Anyway, most junior highers at Old Mesa didn't attend the dance because…no one ever dances at school dances, right? But the counselors persisted, saying that the students should have some more time for socializing and stuff like that. If you asked the kids, however, most would probably agree that they would rather socialize at places like Starbucks, Jamba Juice, or even at their own school's cafeteria.

"So, what is this dance thing all about?" Tahu asked Thorn after school. Thorn smiled. "Think of it as a place where they actually let guys like us have fun with girls without getting in trouble."

The dance was right after school, in the gymnasium, and it went until 8:00 pm. Nobody really dressed up at all, it was just a come-as-you-are type dance, unless you went home and decided you absolutely had to wear this awesome outfit or something like that (which is what Lara did). Geri and Gali/Molly met up with Lan and Lewa/Luke at the entrance to the gym. "Hey there, Varner!" Lan greeted Geri. She grinned. "Hey, Lan. You seen Kori anywhere lately? I want to make sure she's not gonna be a wallflower or outcast and come to the dance."

Lan shook his head. "Nope. Me and Luke here haven't seen her since 5th hour English. But then again, she's so quiet she might not have been there either!" He laughed.

"Oh, be quiet. She's really nice if you took the time to get to know her. Oh well. I'll talk to her tomorrow, then. Come on," Geri said, grabbing Gali's hand and striding into the gym. Lan and Lewa followed.

The gym was about ½ of the way full already. There was a buffet table on one end of the court, and the DJ's table on the other. The atmosphere was quiet, stiff, boring even. The background music was classical jazz, but no one seemed to like it. (A/N: no offense to all you jazz-lovers out there, but I think jazz is kinda boring.) Kids stood mostly near the food tables, too shy to step out onto the dance floor. Geri stuck up her nose. "This is the Old Mesa Spring Fling?"

"No one seems to be flinging," muttered Lan.

Gali looked around. Most of the kids looked as if they would rather leave. "Does everyone have to stay here?" she asked Geri. The blonde girl shook her head. "No, but most everybody wants to either come here and have an excuse to socialize or say that 'they survived the school dance' sort of thing. It's a junior higher way of thinking," she explained to Gali's puzzled look.

Thorn and Tahu strode on into the gym. Some kids looked relieved when Thorn showed up, as if hoping he would liven up the boring dance. On of the counselors was putting in a new CD in the player. Thorn walked over to Geri and hugged her. "Hey, beautiful," he said loudly, and even in the dim light Gali could see Geri blush deeply. Lan snickered. "Have you seen Kori, Thorn?" she asked.

Thorn's eyes narrowed. "Kasanova? Why would she show up here? She's a bookworm and a wallflower, not a socialite."

"I was afraid of that." Although Geri and Kori weren't best friends anymore, Geri still cared for the shy, quiet reject of the school.

Tahu sighed heavily. "Can't we go play some basketball or something instead? I mean, come on. This place reeks of boredom," he complained to Thorn. What he really wanted was some good ol' Rahi to fry. Thorn shook his head. "I know. Sorry, bro. Geri's here, and I don't really feel like leaving her here with Lan or soon to be Parker, even."

"Fine."

"Speak of the devil!" Thorn cried. Parker and Pohatu walked over to them. Parker was the tallest one in the group, even taller than Thorn, Tahu noted. The two guys slapped each other on the back. "I didn't think you'd even come, Parker," said Thorn.

The other shrugged. "Pete here was curious about school dances. So I obliged. Besides, now I have an excuse as to why I couldn't make dinner tonight at my place."

Everyone laughed. Than Owen and Onua showed up, and more greetings were exchanged; and Onua, Lewa, and Pohatu went into their little group. Gali noticed them out of the corner of her eye. Odd, she thought. They've made friends awfully quickly. Or do they already know each other from somewhere? But she decided it wasn't too important, though she still thought of it as odd.

Geri was about to ask Parker and Owen if they'd seen Kori anywhere when Lan cut her off. "No, I'm pretty sure they haven't seen Kori anywhere today, right?"

But Parker and Owen shook their heads. "Actually, I just saw her this morning at the NJHS meeting. She just came and left, along with that exchange student of hers." Owen mused.

Parker nodded. "Yeah, I have her in my 4th hour. We were lab partners today."

Pete interrupted. "And she and Kurt did all the work! Mrs. Carol took points off our grade for the activity because she said we didn't help at all!"

"Pete's still annoyed about that. He doesn't like to feel useless, but Kori and that Kurt dude seemed as if they'd rather just work alone and didn't want our help," Parker explained to the group.

Sounds like someone I know, both Tahu and Gali thought.

"Well, look who's here," Thorn grumbled.

At the west entrance of the gym, another large group had assembled. The leaders seemed to be Thorn's former girlfriend, Sara Miler, Trey/Takanuva, and Trevor Chandler, a kid Lan knew from 7th grade. Sara had her arm around Trey, who looked nervous and ready to bolt, but Trevor kept murmuring things in his ear and patting his other arm.

Parker chuckled. "Looks like Trevor's friend doesn't know how to behave around girls."

"Especially Sara Miler," Owen added.

Thorn had begun to hold a grudge against Trey ever since he found out Sara liked the new, blonde haired kid. Trevor usually didn't hang out with Thorn's group, although Lan would often try to include him in hangouts that Thorn invited his group to, like movies.

Gali had never noticed it before, probably because she didn't have any classes with Trevor and Trey, but now she noticed how bright of a blonde Trey's hair was. It was like a luminescent, golden shock of hair that could never be tamed. It almost hurt her eyes.  
As Thorn's group and Trey's group continued on chatting, Kori and Kopaka quietly slipped in through the west entrance. "I didn't think I'd come. I never do," Kori confessed, "but something told me that tonight was not going to be like all the other school dances."

Kopaka said nothing. He was not one to follow his instincts or trust every passing whim; he preferred to analyze everything logically first. "So, what do you do at 'Spring Flings'?" he asked her quietly. She hesitated. "Maybe I shouldn't have come…" she mumbled.

"What?"

She sighed. "I should have known. You dance. If you're a girl, you dance with a guy. And vice versa. Sure, you can dance with other girls, but then you're considered immature. And I don't even have any friends, period!" Her face was once more downcast.

An idea somehow found its way into Kopaka's head. "How about…I'll dance with you."

She looked startled, as if she'd never considered this. "You would do that?"

"Sure. What the heck."

Kori smiled. "I would love that, even if it is only a silly old Spring Fling."

Suddenly the there was a loud blast of squeaky shrills, coming from the speakers. Everyone looked at the DJ, who shrugged. Kori wasn't surprised to see Lan there, though he was looking confused. She only wished he would dance with her, but he was part of the in-crowd and she was not…

Lan was embarrassed. He, Orlando Watson, embarrassed! But while he looked on, Lewa had taken charge and walked over to the DJ, a frown on his green-eyed face. "What's he doing?" Geri asked as the DJ put another CD in. Lan shrugged. "All he said was that he wanted to know if they had any CD's that would be better suited for parties!"

"Just what country is he from, again?" Geri asked. Lan looked sheepish. "Uh, Mata-something…" Then he got a plan. "Ireland. He's from Ireland."

Geri shrugged. "No wonder he talks differently. I wonder what type of music they listen to in Ireland?"

All of a sudden there was another loud blast, this time from the CD. It startled the heck out of everyone in the gym, and there were a lot of people there. The music continued to blare, quiet down, and than flare up again. And in the middle of it all (and the gym, for that matter) stood Lewa, grinning wildly. As the words came into hearing, everyone realized just what they were listening to. If not, they did when Lewa started dancing to the song. The chords struck a memory in Parker's mind. "He knows…you taught him…this is the Macarena!" he exclaimed. Lan blushed again. "I…I like that song!" he said indignantly. "Besides, anything to make this party fun!"

He obviously didn't know Lewa's definition of fun.

As all Le-Matoran are, Lewa was a terrific partier. He seemed not to care that he was the only one on the dance floor, or that everyone else stood stunned on the outskirts. "Who is that?" some whispered. "I think he's Lan's exchange student," or "I have no clue," were the replies.

"Come on, Lan, go join your buddy!" Parker teased him. Lan scowled. "Uh, no thanks…Luke looks perfectly fine out there by himself." He felt somewhat ashamed that he, the major showoff of the 8th grade, was too scared to go out and do the Macarena.

There were a few cheers from the other side of the gym, and a tall preppy girl from Trevor's group ran out and joined Lewa on the dance floor. Lewa looked surprised, than grinned and continued doing the moves. Soon more kids came out, made bolder by the first move, and split off into pairs. The Macarena ended and came to a heavy metal song. Lewa once again stole the show, and even though he'd probably never heard or seen heavy metal groups at concerts or anything like that, the way his body moved, you'd think he used to be in a heavy metal band.

Everyone clapped and cheered Lewa on. He performed each dance with obedience and dramatic flair, as if he was born for it. "That's it, I'm goin' in," Lan declared. He paraded boldly in, grabbed himself a girl, and danced to the music.

The dance was going better than planned. Kids took out their cell phones and invited their friends who hadn't come to get on over.

When the slow, mushy romance music came on, Thorn grabbed Geri's arm and took off for center stage. Geri shrieked the whole time, but grinned after Thorn danced dramatically in front of her; then she allowed him to lead her in a waltz. Parker and Owen followed suit, each going off to find their own ladies to dance with. Tahu was left standing awfully uncomfortable and awfully close to Gali. Onua and Pohatu glanced at each other, than smiled and walked away to get their own partners.

On the other side of the gym, Kori had such a look of longing in her blue eyes that Kopaka, despite himself, reluctantly agreed to dance with her. He was soon surprised how easily it came to him, almost like…ice-skating. The pair unknowingly drifted over to where Tahu was standing on the other side of the gym, a 'Look' on his face.

Kopaka, again despite himself, felt a rush of bravery and said teasingly to Toby, "What? Are you afraid to ask her to dance?"

Tahu snapped out of his reverie and immediately glared at the accuser. For one minute second he saw Kopaka in those pale blue eyes…than the moment was gone, and he was retaliating with, "Heck no, I'm not some coward! Just watch me!"

Toby went over to Molly, who had been quietly observing from behind the food table. She looked up and saw the tall, broad-shouldered red-haired kid walked over to her.

"Hi there, uh…I don't know your name…"

"Molly." She had a feeling of what was coming next. Geri had told her the ways of the male gender.

"I was just wondering…I mean, you don't have to, and all…" Tahu blushed against his will.

Behind them, Kopaka snickered softly.

Tahu turned and scowled at him. "Okay, okay! Would you like to dance, with me, I mean?" He turned to Kopaka again. "There! Who's the coward now?"

Kopaka rolled his eyes and continued on waltzing with Kori.

Gali smiled. "Sure. That sounds fantastic." She remembered what Geri had told her about guys. Now that he had finished sniveling and asking you, you could be bold and let the guy know you couldn't be taken advantage of. "Come on! Do you know the tango?" Gali had been taking dance with Geri after school, and her favorite was the tango. She grabbed his arm and rushed onto the dance floor. Tahu followed unknowingly.

Tahu was elated. Thorn was right; there's lots of fun to be had when you're around girls. He tried to maintain his 'knowing' appearance, but he was swept away by the flow of Gali's skillful dancing and the liveliness of the music. The way her body moved made it seem like she was doing a synchronized swimming routine. No more waltzes ensued; now tangos and can-cans ruled the dance floor. And ironically, the song for the can-can-"Kick the Can"-played concert-style loud in the background. Tahu dropped his apprehensiveness and let himself have fun.

Similarly, Onua was doing the same thing. Pohatu, when hearing the can-can song, whooped and sped out onto the dance floor. He was dancing solo for a while until a girl, presumably from Sara's clique, followed him in the moves. Pohatu grinned. He saw Onua's faint congratulating smile. "Come on, brother!" he shouted over the noise. "Join in! It's freakin' awesome!"

Onua was about to say that he didn't have a dance partner when someone tapped him on his right shoulder. He turned and was met with an equally dark haired person, a Gothic girl from another group. She looked up into Onua's lime green eyes (A/N: remember, he has glowing green eyes in Onu-Koro and other dark places) and smiled mischievously. "Hey, hot shot," she purred, almost like a cat. Onua stared. "Wanna dance?" she asked.

Onua turned and saw Owen watching him. Owen grinned and gave him the thumbs-up signal. Onua smiled and grabbed the girl by the arm into the throng of kids in the middle of the gym. Owen then smiled toward a girl standing near the punch table. "Hey, Jackie," he said. "Go ahead. I've got nothing else to do," the tall girl replied and let herself be brought out near Thorn and Geri.

As most of the girls from Sara and Takanuva's group dissipated and found their own partners, soon Sara and Takanuva were the only ones in their group left not dancing. Trevor had abandoned Trey to go with some short, feisty girl from Thorn's group. Sara looked out at all the partnerships in the gym, at her and Trey, and sighed. Takanuva put down his cup of punch. "Wanna dance?" he asked, thinking that was what she wanted.

She smiled. "Man, you really are Mr. Wonderful. You read my mind. I would love to dance with you." Takanuva couldn't decipher if she was being grateful or sarcastic.

Sara Miler grinned. "And lookie there: the middle of the floor's open. Think we can impress everybody with our slick dancing?"

Trey tried to smile. "Sure. Except…I've never really danced before. Not like this, I mean."

Sara looked undaunted, but a little flicker of doubt crossed her expressions. _Who ever heard of a Mr. Wonderful who couldn't dance?_ She thought.

"Piece of cake, really," she said encouragingly. Takanuva tried not to look nervous or uncomfortable. But she smiled. "I'm sure you'll catch on pretty quick. It's not that hard, really. I took formal dance after school in 6th grade. Come on!" Sara boldly took hold of Takanuva's arm and waltzed out to the middle. As Takanuva watched everyone else dance around them, Sara versed him in the steps of the tango, can-can, and other dances for occasions like this. Trey gulped nervously. This was nothing like Kolhii.

On the far side of the gym, Kopaka and Kori danced to their own, softer tune. Kori looked down the whole time, as if ashamed of herself for begging him to dance. Kopaka had observed, at this school, a social status that varied between cliques. Kori had no group to follow after or lead or be a part of. She had earned a small reputation with Thorn's group; but it wasn't necessarily a good one. Her problem was: she wasn't bold. She let herself get walked all over by jerks and bullies, and never took a stand and defended herself. At home, she always threw herself into her studies and never got phone calls from friends. But lately, Kori had been observing Kopaka and the way he carried himself. Sure, he was distant and reserved most of the time, but he was bold and defensive in a cool and collected sort of way. And lately Kori had been getting bolder. In the halls, she didn't ignore the gossip she heard behind her back. She began to get more self-confidence and self-respect. And soon others had come to respect her too. _And it all was because of Kopaka, _Kori thought. _If he hadn't shown up, I'd still be Kori Kasanova, middle-school reject. I can't do anything by myself…I have to have others help me be brave…I'm useless when it doesn't involve homework…_

In spite of herself, she started crying. Kopaka noticed and became uncomfortable. What was he supposed to do when his dance partner was breaking down on him and he himself was not that good in talking to people and solving their personal problems?

Kori stopped sniffling and looked up. Kopaka was at least half a foot taller than she, and his posture and confidence made him look taller. His pale blue eyes had lost some of their 'frostbite' and were looking down at Kori, concerned. He let go of her arms. She wiped away her tears and looked away. "No, don't feel sorry for me…" she sniffled. They left the dance floor and went behind a punch table.

"What's wrong?" Kopaka asked her softly.

"It's just that―" Kori started.

"Hey, guys! Come on in and join the dance!" Both turned and saw Geri and Thorn a few feet away. Thorn had his arm around Geri's shoulder. Geri smiled over at them, hopeful. "Don't be wallflowers! Get into it! It's fun!"

Kori hid her face, embarrassed. Thorn smirked. Kopaka cast a quick glare at him and looked back at Geri. "Not now. Maybe later."

"Well, I just don't want you two to―"

Thorn interrupted. "Come on, Geri dear. It's obvious they are perfectly fine by themselves. Now, let's go find Parker and the other guys…" They waltzed over to the other side of the dance floor, heads turned around looking for the rest of Thorn's group.

Pohatu and Onua were doing a double-dancing style with each other's partners. As Onua danced with his partner, Ash, Pohatu danced with his partner, Ruby. Then they switched off and did a different dance. "Boy, this dancing stuff gets to you after a while!" Pohatu shouted over the music. The featured song was, 'R.E.S.P.E.C.T.' Onua showed him the thumbs up and grinned. He had never been one to get completely wild like his two brothers, but he still loved to party.

Soon the quartet met up with Lewa and his partner. "Man, this dude is tight!" Lewa's partner gushed to Ruby and Ash. "He just adapts right onto the song, no matter what's playing!" Onua and Pohatu grinned at each other and at their younger brother, who smiled mischievously back. Something about him seemed more hyper than usual…

"Luke, how much Pepsi did you drink?" Lan said from next to Lewa. The Toa of Air turned and tilted his head to the side a bit. "Oh, about those colorcans…I maybethink I had at least 4 or 5…verysweet sugardrinks they have here!" He smiled his loony smile and continued on dancing energetically with his partner. Lan's eyes grew wide. "4 or 5…is he crazy?"

Onua and Pohatu exchanged glances. They were sure something was bound to happen, something very interesting. Especially with the amount of caffeine soda like that contains…(A/N: no offense to Pepsi, I happen to like it myself)

Tahu and Gali were being looked upon by surrounding couples. Tahu found himself staring at Gali, her all-blue outfit, her ocean blue eyes and her warm brown hair. She really was quite pretty and exotic, but at the same time reminded him of someone very familiar…

"Aren't they cute? Just look at how they look at each other…" said Geri a few feet away. Thorn shook his head. "The dude's lovestruck," he whispered.

"They make such a good couple," gushed Pohatu's dance partner. He looked and saw them, Toby in a crimson shirt and black pants and Geri in a blue frilly skirt and green-blue tank top. Pohatu smiled. The girl was pretty, he thought. She certainly did almost look like one of those California Beach Volleyball magazines Parker read a lot, except with much more clothing on.

Tahu and Gali were oblivious. Tahu didn't know if this feeling he was feeling meant something bigger than he was ready to handle. It could be the start of a whole new relationship. And Gali, although playing with him, didn't really know if she liked him enough or not. But they both just kept moving to the music, alone in their thoughts.

Takanuva and Sara were also the stars of the dance at the time. Takanuva learned the moves quickly and accurately, and went overboard on impressing Sara with his agile moving and finesse. She was surprised, wondering why he impressed her so much. She already liked him. He wasn't flirting with her; he wasn't that type. But he seemed genuinely determined to make her happy that he was her dance partner, and she was glad of that. Suddenly she was lifted off her feet and vaulted into the air, landing safely and comfortable in the protective arms of Trey, who had thrown her and dipped her in a very skilled, very dramatic waltz. She stared in wonder at him for a moment, than the playfulness returned to her eyes and she allowed herself to be tossed in his arms back and forth as surrounding couples cheered them on. As he did another waltz dip, the spotlight seemed to shine on them brighter than ever, and Takanuva literally _glowed_ with pride and joy. The crowd cheered, and their waltz continued as the lights seemed to follow Trey's movements through the dancing.

But as many couples were drawn into a happy reverie, a girl from the left side of the gym shrieked loudly. The kids turned toward the sound. Lewa's dance partner was on the dance floor, but Lewa was flying through the air on the paper multi-colored streamers strung across the room. It wasn't a scream of terror, necessarily; it could be, but in this case it was a shriek of shock and surprise. Lewa seemed to move through the air as if he controlled it, jumping from streamer to streamer and bouncing off tables and posters on the walls. Onua and Pohatu watched with silence. Well, that was Lewa for you. What else could you expect from someone from Le-Koro?

Suddenly, as Lewa 'flew' over the middle of the room, he grabbed on the glittering disco ball and bounced off. Unfortunately, the ball had just barely stuck to the ceiling of the gym; it was so heavy. As Lewa's feet left the ball, they pushed it a little towards the center-right of the gym. The holdings ripped, the metal link broke and the glittering ball plummeted down towards the center of the floor. Kids began to panic. As the ball fell, Onua and Pohatu went into action. Pohatu sped (literally) toward a few couples and pushed them out of the way. Onua grabbed the ball and held it in the air so it wouldn't fall and create a bigger disaster (i.e. huge shattering of glass, which goes everywhere)

Seeing the ball, Takanuva had snapped back to the present and dragged Sara off to the side as the ball looked like it was going to crash in the middle of the floor.

The music still played loudly in the background. Some couples (like Tahu and Gali) were still gazing at each other and didn't know what just happened. But most were staring in shock and confusion at the scene: Pohatu standing in front of the couples he had pushed out of the way, with an ashamed and yet relieved frown on his face. Onua was still standing in the middle of the gym, holding the giant, heavy disco ball and wearing an ashamed, slightly apprehensive look on his face. Pohatu came over to him and muttered, "You can put it down now, brother."

Onua carefully set it down.

Some kids shrugged it off and went back to their dancing. Only a few couples still brooded about the incident. Kopaka had heard the scream, saw a kid jumping around the room, saw some people get pushed out of the way of a falling disco ball, and saw some tall, muscular kid hold up the ball while a lot of people stopped and stared.

"What's all the fuss about?" Kori asked, confused. Kopaka shook his head.

"Everybody is making a big deal about something that probably was just an accident. Some kid just flew across the room…"

Wait a second. Some kid just flew across the room? Kori said no human could fly on their own power, except by plane and other technology these days. But that didn't explain the flying kid! Or the fact that the guy who had pushed some couples out of the way did it with the speed of an Olympic runner. Or the fact that the disco ball (so he'd heard) weighed at least a ton, and that guy held it up as easily as he'd hold up a person. All these things moved through Kopaka's analytic brain, proposing new ideas and arousing new suspicions.

"Some kid flew across the gym? Impossible! What do you mean?" Kori said next to him. Her eyes were perplexed.

"I don't know!" Kopaka muttered irritably. He never liked not knowing something. It made him feel vulnerable.

Pohatu and Onua cautiously went back to their partners, who looked at them with new admiration. Ash gave Onua her 'black-cat' look, as I like to call it (i.e. she's giving him a flirtatious look). "You must be part of the weight-lifting team, Olson," she murmured. He nodded, using the ruse as an excuse for his behavior in being strong. He realized that his powers must have been inside him all along.

And Pohatu was also using the 'part of the Track team' guise as an excuse. Ruby told him proudly that he could be an Olympic runner-and he probably wouldn't even have to practice!

Parker and Owen sidled over to them with their partners. "What was that all about?" Parker said loudly, playing the part of an uninformed middle-schooler. But really he and Owen knew what happened, and they were worried about the conflict this might cause for their foreign friends. Ruby told him about the incident, gushing about Pete's speed and daring move and Olson's great strength and willpower. Pohatu blushed a little, and Onua said nothing. Parker pretended to be amazed. "I always knew he should join the Track team," he declared.

Takanuva and Sara stayed on the far side of the gym. "What happened?" asked Sara worriedly.

Trey shrugged. "I don't know. I think the disco ball fell and some kid caught it before it crashed and hurt anybody."

Sara jumped. "He caught and _held_ it! Alone? Man, he must be on like, the weightlifting team or wrestling team or something!" She shook her head.

"Huh? Why would he have to?"

"Because it took 5 or 6 weightlifters to put that ball on the ceiling. It's _that_ heavy," Sara breathed.

Takanuva gasped inwardly. One person easily holding up a ball that took 5 or 6 others just to keep it in the air. He could only think of one person who could do that…but no, really. It couldn't be…his brother was probably on the other side of Earth now…it would be too easy…

"Trey, look!"

Takanuva jumped. Sara was pointing to a small crowd in the middle of the gym. Almost everybody had stopped dancing to watch whatever was going on in that circle.

"Let's go look!" Sara urged, and boldly grabbed Trey's hand and dragged him over to the circle.

Tahu and Gali were in the midst of the crowd. The sheer joy of being admired by all the kids made Tahu ecstatic. Gali simply loved to dance and be dancing with someone who seemed to appreciate it as much as she did. "I wish I had him for a boyfriend," one girl whispered. Her partner deflated. "Oh, sorry, Mike! No offense meant," the girl apologized.

"Man, Toby is one lucky dude," said Thorn. Geri jerked, and turned toward him, an inquisitive frown on her face. Thorn's eyes widened, and he chuckled. "Nah, just kidding. I wouldn't give you up for the world. You're just…I dunno, maybe you're too headstrong, or something."

Geri smiled as Thorn tried to keep on wheedling her and making him blush as much as her. "You don't have to lie to me, you know," she said lightly and pecked him on the cheek. Than she went back to watching her friend Molly dance with her partner. Thorn smiled softly and rubbed the spot on his cheek where Geri had kissed him.

Oblivious to the throngs of kids watching them speculatively, Tahu and Gali stared at each other the whole time they were dancing. "I didn't think I could dance," Tahu muttered. Gali smiled. "I thought _you_ could. But I didn't think I could."

"Guess there's a first time for everything, huh?" Tahu joked lightly. Then, for the first time, he seemed to notice the crowd. But only when he had dipped Gali in a waltz did they notice. He became, in spite of himself, embarrassed. He, Toa of Fire, embarrassed! His face turned a deep shade of red. Gali watched his eyes and saw, too, their admiring onlookers. She also blushed deeply. As their dance slowed down, both of them blushed crimson.

Geri cheered Molly on. "Keep going!"

Other kids cheered as well.

So Tahu pulled Gali up and began a can-can.

Lewa showed up behind Lan. His green eyes were ashamed; his brown hair tussled up and his face downcast. "Sorrymuch about that, Lan. I felt so happyproud and wanted to…offshow."

Lan tried to look grim and stern, but ended up looking evil. He patted Luke on the back. "Hey, no problem. No one got hurt, and now our Track and Weightlifting teams will probably have 2 new members!"

Onua and Pohatu smiled.

"But definitely no more caffeine foe you," Lan said sternly. "I see it was a bad mistake to let you drink all that Pepsi."

Lewa grinned lopsidedly. "Sorrybad about that."

As the music slowed down in the background, Toby and Molly slowed their dance down. But at the final note, Gali tripped on Tahu's foot. Tahu became concerned and reached down and caught her in his arms. Everyone seemed to think that that move was played out on purpose, and a huge roar of applause went up as the music and the dancing ended. Tahu realized what this meant and turned crimson. Gali smiled faintly.

As the counselor who was on supervision watched the dance and heard the applause, she smiled. "This year's Spring Fling has been very exhilarating and very successful. We will plan to do one again next year. Unfortunately, it is time for us to close down the gym, so if you will all head toward your respective exits and exit the campus. See you tomorrow and have a nice rest of the evening!"

The volume of chatter went up again. Kopaka and Kori left the gym as quietly as they had come in. Kori still hadn't talked much. But now she turned to Kopaka. "Thanks."

"For what?" he inquired.

"For…dancing with me. You could have went and found a different partner, but thanks for staying with me." Kori looked down, and a slight rosy blush appeared on her pale skin.

"It was nothing." Kopaka replied. He didn't know what to make. Lately, Kori had been acting different around him, embarrassed or nervous or desperate even. It was confusing, as he'd never been in that situation before.

At the entrance to the Old Mesa Middle School, Thorn and his group went their separate ways. Gali came over to Tahu. "It was fun dancing with you, Toby," she said quietly. He nodded. "Same here. Well, see ya tomorrow, then?"

She nodded too. "See you tomorrow."

Tahu went with Thorn and Gali went with Geri. Lewa went with Lan, Owen and Onua, and Parker and Pohatu, since they all lived somewhat close to each other.

"Man, brother Lewa, you had us worried for a bit there, with all that flying around the gym," Onua said sternly.

"It's all that sugar, probably," Owen said. Lan nodded.

"Do you think anyone will suspect?" Pohatu asked.

Parker looked at him. "Suspect what?"

"What me, Onua, and Lewa did. You said that humans couldn't fly like Lewa did, run as fast as I did, or lift immensely heavy objects alone like Onua did." Pohatu looked apprehensive. "Don't you think somebody is bound to ask questions?"

Lan, Parker, and Owen thought about this. Then Owen shook his head. "Nah. If anyone asks, like a teacher who saw it happen or somebody else, everyone will think that Luke was simply hyper, Pete is part of the Track team, and Olson is part of the wrestling and weightlifting clubs."

Parker nodded. "Down here at Old Mesa, everyone goes along with what everybody else thinks. And so far everybody seems to agree with what Owen said."

"I sure hope that you're right," Pohatu muttered.

Then they came to Lan's house. "See you all tomorrow!" Lan shouted. Lewa waved.

Pohatu stretched his arms. "Well, that was exhilarating," he said cheerfully."

"Did you see that couple? Toby and Molly? Man, they were really into the dance back there!" Parker said.

"And don't forget about Ash," Owen wheedled. Onua tried not to smile.

Parker looked amazed. "You danced with Ash? The Goth? Wow. She's kinda like…the outcast…I think…congratulations!"

Pohatu grinned at Onua, who sighed. "I didn't know she had a particular reputation or anything."

"Not really. She's just always playing hard-to-get with any guy that crosses her. It seems you've got yourself a girl, my friend," Owen said congenially.

As they came upon Owen's house and then Parker's, the guys all said their good-byes and went back into their homes, full of good memories and hopes of what tomorrow would bring.

A/N: Man, that was almost 12 pages! I've written character backgrounds shorter than this! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it, and sorry again about the long wait. I've become slightly notorious for being a slow updater. But now for the next chapter: Onua's chapter, mainly, but with some Pohatu, Kopaka, and Tahu. Maybe even Takanuva. You'll just have to wait and see. If you have any ideas for future chapters, feel free to email me and I'll think about them.

CS


	10. The Match

A/N: Here it is again! Now, for those of you who were somewhat disappointed because the last chapter was too romantic, you will be happy to know that this one is filled with more action! (I had to compromise last time between romance and action) Hopefully this one suits you all. I was kinda lookin' forward to this chapter, although it took me a while to write…lately I've been working on my fictionpress stories a lot, but I still come here…I am sorry for being a slow updater. (How do ya all like me new pen name? MasteroftheIceblade. Bwahahaha. Mighty spiffy, isn't it? -)

Disclaimer: Alas, but I do not own Bionicle or anything to do with Bionicle, except the original characters in this story, which are mine. (Haven't done disclaimers in a while; too lazy)

The Wrestling Match

After the dance, Toby and Molly weren't as romantic with each other as they had been, because rumors could start. But they still threw furtive glances at each other often and hung out between classes when they could.

So the days came and went, until a week after the Spring Dance, another event was posted up that a small minority of kids began to look forward to. The Wrestling/Weightlifting team was holding its annual auditions Friday (the Friday a week after the dance). The auditions were something only guys really cared about, but sometimes girls would show up to root for their boyfriends or whatever. The auditions were for 8th and 9th grade guys only. Junior high boys all over Old Mesa, excluding the 7th graders, began preparing in their PE classes for the auditions, if they so desired to join the team.

Meanwhile, one Wednesday afternoon, Onua, Pohatu, their respective caretakers, and their newly met female friends were strolling along to 5th hour when Pohatu's girl, Ruby, stopped abruptly and ran over to one of the walls where there were a bunch of posters tacked up for upcoming events. The rest of the group followed.

Ruby then squealed, a high-pitched, girly squeal (A/N: I, for one, do not scream like this, in case you're wondering. Which you're probably not, but anyway…).

"Look at this, Pete!" she gushed excitedly. Ash came over and read it too; a smile also appeared on her pale face.

"What is it?" asked Pohatu.

Onua showed him the poster. "Read it, genius."

Ruby didn't wait for him to finish reading it as she burst out, "Do you know what this means?"

Not waiting for them to answer, she replied to herself, "You guys could audition for the wrestling team! You guys would be, like, the best ones there! It's brilliant,_ I_ think." She smiled.

Pohatu shrugged. "Sure. It's either that or Track, in my case."

"What about you, Olson?" Ash murmured.

Onua shrugged also. "Might be fun," he said wryly. Ruby squealed again.

"Oh my gosh, the coaches will be SO amazed! I can't wait till Friday! Come on, we have to get to 5th hour!" She dragged everyone else behind her towards their next class.

On the other side of campus, Thorn, Tahu, Gali and Geri were looking over a replica of the same poster. "Wrestling match, eh?" Tahu muttered. "Sounds fun to me."

"That's the spirit," said Thorn. "I think I auditioned _way_ back in my 8th grade year-Geri interrupts, "Thorn, that was only _last_ year"-and they didn't let me on the team. Something about being too much of a featherweight. That's why I joined the basketball team." He grinned.

"So, Toby, are you going to try out?" asked Gali.

Tahu smiled. "Of course I'm tryin' out! Everyone else at the match better watch out for me, that's what I say!"

Thorn, Geri, and Molly laughed as the group made their way to 5th hour.

Nearby, Kori was talking to Kopaka. "You could try out for the Wrestling team! You might be good at it!"

He shook his head. Wrestling sounded to him like a place where others show off their brute force and strength, and that just wasn't him. He was better off in a computer lab, as Kori had said before. "Nah. I don't care too much for that sort of thing."

Kori gave it up, but inside, Kopaka thought more about it and finally decided to try out.

Finally, Friday came, the day of the auditions. Half the school was jazzed; the other half, made up of mostly intellectuals, didn't even remember that there were tryouts. But all the guys who had practiced all week showed up in the gym after school. Some brought along their corresponding girlfriends, too.

Now, the gym was one of the few old-fashioned aspects of the middle school. While the school was very supportive on collecting enough funds to upgrade supplies, they used most of the funds to pay for classroom supplies, Art and Intro. Tech stuff, and new computers and printers. So the poor old gym was left, kinda forgotten, and still equipped with old _wooden_ rafters and thin glass windows. Some kids thought with fear that the gym roof could cave in at any time, especially with a huge crowd of kids screaming or really bad weather or something like that. But for some reason, this complaint was not brought before the school board, and so the gym never was remodeled.

At 4:30 pm, a medium size crowd had assembled in the gym. Those who were trying out for the wrestling team stood at the bottom of the bleachers, getting instructions and information from the boys coaches, Coach Siper and Coach Peterson. Thorn, Geri, Gali, Owen, Lan, and Lewa sat in the middle of the bleachers, observing and rooting for Tahu, Parker, Onua, and Pohatu. On the other side of the gym sat Sara, Takanuva and Trevor, who were there for the excitement. Kori sat a little ways off. Kopaka had relented and confessed to her that he was trying out, but that he wouldn't care if he didn't make it.

Than Coach Peterson and Coach Siper went and sat behind the judging table. Coach Peterson leaned into the microphone.

"Good afternoon, everybody. We're glad to have such a big crowd to witness the annual Wrestling team tryouts. Now, just remember, we don't mind if you root for your friends, just know that they will need as much concentration as possible to play fair and play their best. With that said, let's begin round one of the tryouts!"

The crowd cheered.

"Anyone here could be a potential member of the wrestling team, as long as they survive past at least round 3. Anyone who doesn't isn't a loser, but you should think of joining the Track or basketball teams." He cleared his throat and spoke to the guys who were trying out. "First off, we'll have one of our senior members, Dusty, be the opponent for the first 3 rounds. If you all last for at least 2 minutes with him, than you'll move on to the next rounds and will be eligible to join the team. Kapeesh?"

The group of about 15 guys nodded.

"_Now_ we can finally begin the match. First off, lets have a Mr. Rick face off against senior member Dusty!"

A small throng of kids cheered for Rick, while the majority cheered for Dusty. Dusty was a large, muscular but not heavyweight broad shouldered 9th grader with short, spiky brown hair. Rick looked slightly nervous, and seemed to be considering whether he really should pursue Wrestling or try out for Track.

"Take your positions, boys…"

They stood facing each other on the mat.

"On my count…3…2…1…Go!"

Rick didn't seem too confident, so when Dusty charged him he didn't move. The fight lasted for about a minute, and Rick did not end up joining the wrestling team. Dusty shrugged, trying to be nice but also saying that he wouldn't have done too well on the team anyway.

And so the guys kept coming and going. 2 more kids failed to last more than 2 minutes with Dusty. Pohatu, Parker, Tahu, Kopaka, and Onua easily passed the first three rounds. The crowd cheered ecstatically.

"Go Parker! Go Pete! Go Olson! Go Toby!" yelled Geri, Thorn, Gali, Owen, Lan, and Lewa. Kori silently rooted for Kopaka. Oh, he must win! She thought urgently.

Finally the preliminaries ended. Among the throng of about 10 guys left were Kopaka (who was amazed at why he was still pursuing this challenge), Tahu (who thought of nothing but surviving till the end), Pohatu (who was simply there for the challenge), Onua (who thought Dusty was a piece of cake), and Parker (who was neutral).

"Now, folks," boomed Coach Peterson's voice over the microphone. "We have come to the second stage of the tryouts. Now the trainees will be facing each other. Thank you, Dusty, for helping in out first stage."

The crowd cheered as Dusty went and sat down on the bench in front of the bleachers.

"What does he mean, face each other?" Pohatu mumbled to Onua.

"Shh, listen." Onua replied.

"Whoever wins each match will go on to stage three. Good luck to you all, boys. First off, let's have Ken face off against Toby!"

Tahu grinned and flexed his arms. He looked over at Ken. Ken was a short but strong looking 8th grade kid with fierce eyes. He grinned back at Tahu as they both stepped onto the mat.

"Ready…3…2…1…GO!" shouted Coach Peterson.

Ken flew at Tahu. Tahu deflected that attack and grabbed the other kid's waist and tried to push Ken on his back. Ken landed on his back and landed a punch on Tahu's shoulder. Tahu angrily punched Ken back in the chest. Than he held Ken down. The count began.

"1…2…3…" counted Coach Siper. Ken could not get up under Tahu's viselike grip, and when 10 seconds passed, he lost the match.

"And Toby wins! He will move on to stage three," declared Coach Peterson.

"Next up, Kurt faces off against Derrick!"

Kopaka stood up, his gaze neutral. Derrick was a big guy, with mangy hair. They both moved to the mat, staring (glaring?) at each other till Coach Peterson spoke again.

"Are we ready?" he boomed.

The crowd cheered yet again.

"Good. Ready, on my mark…3…2…1…Go!"

Derrick began to circle Kopaka, who stood tall and watched him with a cautious eye. This went on for a minute.

Tahu became impatient on the bench. "Why don't they do something? Why is that Kurt kid just standing there? For crying out loud―"

"Dude, calm down. It's probably just his way of doing things," Parker told him calmly.

Then Derrick struck, his huge fist aimed at Kopaka's cheek. Kopaka moved to the side and punched Derrick in the back. The kid jerked forward, then turned around angrily. "Wanna fight, do you?" he jeered. "You're just a featherweight…"

Kopaka _was _taller than wider, but that made no difference with the fierceness in which he attacked. The match went on for practically five minutes.

On the bleachers, the kids were enthralled.

"Man, that Kurt sure knows his moves," muttered Thorn. "Isn't he the same kid from Snowfall Peaks?"

Geri leaned closer. "I think…that is, it could be. He just had so much skiing gear at Snowfall, I didn't get a good look at his face."

"Looks like him to me," said Owen.

Lewa watched Kopaka with interest. _It had to be Kopaka, _he thought,_ no one else fights like that_! Kopaka was mostly eluding his opponent's attacks and landing in his own punches now and then. Defense-only.

Then Derrick flew at Kopaka again. As his fist came nearer to Kopaka's face, Kopaka grabbed it and flipped the kid over onto his stomach. Derrick groaned and didn't move. "Now who's the featherweight," muttered Kopaka, who was surprised that he actually lashed out like that. Must be this human thing.

"10…9…8…" counted Coach Siper. "He's down! Kurt has won this match and will move onto stage three."

Pohatu and Onua also won their respective matches with flying colors. Parker, however, was pitted against this big, burly guy who seemed to know his moves. Parker tried his best but lost. As he returned to the bench and Pohatu, Onua, and Tahu all said how sorry they were for him, he simply shrugged.

"It's okay. I was thinkin' of trying out for football anyway."

Than came stage three. The crowd cheered loudly; this was what they had come for. Stage three was when the coaches would decide which guys they wanted to be their MVP's and which guys would simply be normal wrestlers. This was where the guys fought their best.

"Welcome to stage three, folks. Everyone up to here will be able to join the team, but this is where we find out who our star players will be. Is everyone ready?"

The kids on the bleachers voiced their affirmation.

"Same rules as before: you can root for your friends, but no discouraging comments. All right? Coach Siper, have you finished explaining the situation to our fine young men on the bench?"

Coach Siper gave him thumbs up.

"Okay then. First off, let's have…"  
The first match was the Derrick kid against this guy named Mitch. Both were tall and muscular, and the match seemed to last forever. But in the end Mitch pinned Derrick and held him there for the 10 second count. The crowd went wild. The rafters seemed to shake and rattle, and a slight shower of dust fell down onto the gym floor.

"Great job, both of you. Next, let's have Pete face off against Olson."

Pohatu shot a glance at Onua. His glance read, _we have to fight each other?_

Onua shrugged. "It'll be okay. It's not like we're going to kill each other."

They both stepped up to the mat, Onua looking calm and in control and Pohatu looking confident but somewhat apprehensive. He knew about Onua's near-unlimited strength back on Mata Nui, and here on Earth he had seen him defeat all these guys who looked as though they could simply crush him. _Hopefully he won't display that much force on me_, thought Pohatu.

Coach Peterson leaned into the microphone again. "Okay, boys, on my count…3…2…1…Go!"

Onua and Pohatu began a phase of attack similar to what happened between Kopaka and Derrick. Pohatu was awfully jumpy, and often flew around the mat trying to land in punches at Onua, who grinned as he blocked them.  
"Come on, Pohatu, is this the best the Toa of Stone has to offer?" he goaded.

Pohatu grinned fiercely back and stopped jumping around. He ran and grabbed both of Onua's shoulders and tried to push him down. Onua did the same. The grappling match had begun.

"Oh, how do you think they're taking this? With them both being brothers and all?" Lan fretted in the stands.

Owen shook his head. "Actually, Onua told me that the Toa aren't technically related to each other. They just refer to each other as brother and sister."

"Oh. Still, they both possessed great strength back on their homeland. That's what Pete told me," Lan replied.

"I know. But I'm sure they'll manage." Owen said calmly.

What no one but the coaches and those sitting on the bench and in the front rows was that as Pohatu and Onua moved back and forth on the mat, still gripping each other's shoulders, the mat was being torn up. It looked as if both kids were using so much strength that the mat beneath them was ripping up. Neither Onua nor Pohatu seemed to notice this.

The coaches stared in awe. "No matter what, we're definitely getting _them_ on our team," declared Coach Siper. Coach Peterson nodded. "Wow. Y'know, I don't think any wrestler has ever done that to the mats before."

"Well, they-the mats-are getting old…"

"Yeah, but still. Look at all that willpower. Both guys are so focused. I tell ya, we really need more guys like that on the team."

All of a sudden, Onua grabbed Pohatu's waist and lifted him up in the air, than flipped him onto the mat and held him there. The impact of the drop made the rafters shake. Pohatu's face was shocked and he didn't move. Some kids gasped.

Coach Siper jumped up to count.

"10…9…8…" the count went on. Pohatu struggled, but Onua had a strong grip. Than the countdown ended, and Onua finally let go of Pohatu. The crowd cheered and hooted. The rafters shook again, and more kids noticed it this time. The two guys clapped each other on the back.

Pohatu grinned. "You'll have to teach me that move someday, brother," he said good-naturedly.

Onua smiled back. "Anytime."

"And Olson has won that match! Both players have earned their place on the Wrestling Team!" Coach Peterson shouted into the microphone.

The rest of the guys who hadn't gone yet in Stage three faced off against each other. Each time someone won or pulled off a cool maneuver, the kids in the bleachers went wild and the rafters shook.

Geri noticed something. "Wait a minute. Not everyone has gone yet!"

Thorn looked at the guys on the bench. "You're right, Geri. My man Toby still has to face off. Who else is left?'

"I think it's that Kurt kid," said Gali.

"Wow. I still think Toby can win," Thorn declared.

On the other side of the bleachers, Kori fretted. "I do hope Kopaka wins," she muttered. She had been experiencing strange feelings for him lately, things even she couldn't explain. It wasn't love, yet she felt attached to him somehow. "He just doesn't think he's strong enough. He is; I've seen him," she told herself.

Coach Peterson read his list and leaned into the microphone again. "Now, for our final face-off of the afternoon-well, it's practically evening now-let's have Kurt face off against Toby!"

The crowd cheered yet again. Tahu got off the bench and strode confidently towards the mat. Kopaka followed coolly. As they faced each other on the mat, Kopaka muttered loud enough for Tahu to hear, "So, Toby, ready for a real challenge?"

_How dare he goad me on like that!_ Tahu raged. "Of course! Just know that I won't go easy on you like I did those other guys."

"Are you boys ready?" Coach Siper asked them. They nodded. The coach nodded to Coach Peterson, who grabbed the microphone.

"Okay, guys, on my count…3…2…1…Go!"

Kopaka and Tahu circled for a bit. The crowd was cheering loud the whole time. Than, trying to catch his opponent off guard, Tahu flew at Kopaka. Kopaka stood back and let the other kid go past him, than he grabbed Tahu's arm and swung him to the side. Tahu balanced himself with his arms, than flew in another punch at Kopaka. But it was again deflected and turned back at him. This went on for a while, and nobody was sure who had the upper hand in the match, although most were sure Kopaka would emerge triumphant.

Kopaka was confident. This Toby kid sure had a lot of energy and power though, for all his stale moves. He was sure that if he kept deflecting Toby's attacks, Toby would began to slow down and weaken, and then Kopaka could come in with a finishing punch.

Tahu was enraged. This opponent simply blocked his attacks, than turned them against him. No matter where he punched, Tahu could not get in through Kurt's defenses. It seemed to Tahu that Kurt was merely toying with him, waiting for something bigger and stronger. "You want power? I'll show you power," Tahu growled under his breath. He had something else up his sleeve this time.

Then Kopaka went on the offensive and threw in a punch at Tahu's arm, trying to give him a dead arm. (A/N: I've gotten a dead arm before. It hurts like crap.) This was what Tahu had been prepared for. He dodged the punch and instead grabbed Kurt's arm and tried to swing him backwards. He looked at Kurt, and was enraged when he saw that his opponent didn't even look scared, but calm. Kopaka used his other arm and punched Tahu. He let go of Kurt's arm. Feeling confident, Kopaka grabbed Tahu's waist and tried to lift him up.

But Tahu was not a featherweight. He in turn grabbed Kurt's shoulders and tried to push him away. The two guys engaged in a fierce grappling match. The kids on the bleachers whooped and shouted, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

All of a sudden, a wave of hot and cold flashes swept throughout the gym. Kids began to realize that the benches were becoming hot, and started standing instead of sitting. The windows at the top of the gym froze over. On the side of the bleachers closest to Tahu, the kids were looking sweaty and waving their collars. On the side of the bleachers closest to Kopaka, however, the kids were keeping their arms close to themselves and sitting close to each other for the added warmth.

Thorn's group and Trevor's group were in the middle but closest to the warm side. Geri began fanning herself with her shirt. Some of the guys tried to take their shirts off, but were yelled at by the coaches. Everyone was confused…but only 5 people had some clue as to what was going on: Onua, Pohatu, Gali, Takanuva, and Lewa.

On the bench in front of the bleachers, Onua and Pohatu watched carefully the grappling match.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Onua?" Pohatu muttered.

Onua nodded. "If you're thinking that those two are Kopaka and Tahu, than you read my mind."

Gali also studied them. To think, that all this time, Toby had been Tahu! How could she have not seen it? Had he known that 'Molly' was Gali? Right now her focus was on him and the Kurt kid. There was not another explanation for this except that they were Tahu and Kopaka. But did _they_ know it yet?

Lewa was utterly perplexed. Sure, he had suspected that Kurt was Kopaka and Toby was Tahu, but now it seemed so obvious to him; how could he have missed it?

Takanuva sat in wonder. Man, they really were engaged in a 'heated battle.' Har har. He wondered if Kopaka realized that he was facing Tahu, and vice versa.

Kori was on the cold side. She, like all the others, was confused. She couldn't think of a logical explanation for this, except for…_Kopaka told me he was the Toa of Ice, but that was on Mata Nui! And we were both sure that he had lost his powers! Why have they activated now, of all times?_

But on the mat, Kopaka and Tahu really were engaged in a 'heated' battle, as Takanuva so finely put it, so that they didn't realize the effects of their determination on the crowd. The coaches were appalled and confused. "I didn't know you ordered special effects for the tryouts," Coach Siper said to Coach Peterson.

Peterson shrugged. "Don't look at me."

Tahu tried to gain the upper hand, but Kopaka's grip on his waist was firm.

Suddenly the gym windows shattered from being frozen over. Some kids screamed and ran away from the falling glass. Some of the benches on  
Tahu's side caught on fire, and the kids on that side screamed and also ran away from the inflamed benches. The rafters had also become frozen too, and the fire began to thaw them out. They soon became too weak because of the water, and the roof groaned as the rafters shook trying to hold it up. Some kids noticed this and screamed, "It's gonna cave it! The roof's gonna cave in!"

The coaches snapped to attention. "Okay, boys, this match has been canceled for emergency purposes!" yelled Peterson.

But Tahu and Kopaka fought on.

A piece of rafter, still on fire, fell to one side of the gym. It landed near where Kori was sitting. She saw it coming, screamed, and ran to the middle.

Kopaka heard Kori's scream and paused in his grappling. Tahu pushed him forward.

Than another rafter fell near Thorn's group. Geri and Gali screamed as Geri grabbed Thorn.

Tahu also paused after hearing Molly's scream. He let go of Kurt's shoulders as Kopaka let go of his. The two guys noticed the chaos around them and stared. The girls screamed again.

"Guess we can save our match for later, then," Tahu told Kurt, who merely nodded as they ran toward their corresponding ladies.

Tahu was made uncomfortable by the strange look on Molly's face. "Are you all right?" he demanded. She nodded, and then smiled, as if she knew something he didn't. Normally he would have been angered over that, but in her case he made an exception.

Kori looked relived when she saw Kopaka spring towards her. "What happened out there?" she asked. He looked at her. "What do you mean, what happened? I was just wrestling with Toby."

She shook her head. "No, I mean that"-she pointed at the broken, icy windows and the inflamed benches and rafters. Kopaka stared. "I…don't know," he admitted.

The coaches had retrieved fire extinguishers from inside their offices and were busy trying to put out the bench fires. Somebody had called 911 about the burning roof, and the fire department was hopefully on its way.

Kids ran out the gym doors, while a lot of girls were screaming. Pohatu and Onua ran to find Ash and Ruby. Takanuva, Trevor, and Sara made their way out of the gym, a burning rafter came hurtling down towards them. Trevor gasped and ran forward. Sara screamed. Takanuva moved forward in front of Sara, hoping to defend her from the rafter. Trevor was already out the door, and nobody paid attention to Takanuva. He instinctively put up his hands, as if hoping to deflect the rafter. With shock he noticed that the rafter had disintegrated, and now he and Sara were standing in a barely visible beam of light. When Sara saw what he was doing, and that no more rafters even came near them, she stared at the golden-haired kid in shock, confusion, disbelief, and admiration.

Kids still didn't notice. Takanuva heard the roof groan behind them as it prepared to cave in. He put his hands down, and the beam of light disappeared. He looked around at Sara, worry plain on his face.

She stared at him, as if he was a freak. But then she remembered something, and she leaped over and hugged him tightly.

"Thanks for saving me, Trey," she murmured.

He nodded, unsure what she would think of him now.

Takanuva knew he had to tell her the truth. He led her toward a different exit. "Come with me. I need to tell you something you might not believe…"

In the hallway on the other side of the gym, Takanuva faced Sara against the wall. She looked confused and shocked. Hey, who wouldn't, when your school gym was on fire and you didn't think you'd escape and your boyfriend suddenly summons a beam of light to protect you?

He looked at her, at the floor, and sighed. "You're probably wondering what happened back there," he mumbled.

She nodded. "What did you do?" she said, shock and fear in her voice.

Takanuva did not want her to fear him. "Look…you're never going to believe me, so why should I tell you? It'll only make things harder to accept."

"Tell me everything. Let's be honest with each other, shall we?" she told him.

"Well," he looked uncomfortable, "I guess I'm not a normal human. I originally came from a place, a large island, called Mata Nui. It was like a paradise…" A large groan was heard as the roof started to cave in. Takanuva talked quicker. "Look, I'm getting off subject. Anyway, on Mata Nui, there was this…evil entity called the Makuta, and he wanted to cover the island in shadows. Now, there were also these six regions with their own villages and villagers. The protectors of these villagers were called the Toa. There are seven of them, me being the seventh. I was the Toa of Light, and my real name is Takanuva. I thought I lost my powers when I found I was human, but I guess they never left me." He looked at Sara to make sure he hadn't lost her. She just looked dazed.

"Well, that's it about me. Than, we found these strange masks all over the island. We put them on, and…" He shrugged. "We all ended up on Earth, I think. And I have to find the other six Toa."

Sara looked at him. Her mind was racing. _Should I believe him? None of this makes any sense! It all sounds like some fantasy book for children-with me caught in the middle! _

Takanuva looked hopeful. "Please say something…"  
Sara stared back at him. "I don't know…"

Than her mind stopped. _How can you not believe him?_ Her conscious yelled at her. _He didn't know he had his powers, so why is it his fault? And besides-he saved your life! And furthermore, _your_ life! Not anyone else but _you_! Doesn't that mean he cares for you?__So others may label him a freak. But at least he's telling the truth! Doesn't that mean something to you?_

It did. Sara smiled faintly and looked at Takanuva. "Hmm…Takanuva…Toa of Light…Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

He smiled back. She hugged him tight again. When she released him, both kids were blushing deeply.

Takanuva realized that they were still in the gym, and the roof could collapse anytime. He grabbed Sara's arm again. "Come on, we need to get out of here!" he said, and ran out the exit. Sara smiled behind his back. Who cares if anybody found out about Takanuva? She didn't, for one thing. He was the Toa of Light! So there!

Finally the fire department arrived. Men in yellow and black swarmed around the gym carrying hoses and spraying foam and water on the gym, or what was left of it. The roof had finally collapsed. Most of the kids had run home by now. A curious good-sized crowd had assembled at the scene of the fire, though a good distance away from it.

Thorn stood with Tahu and the rest of his group.

"And to think, our gym was thought to be the turning point of modern architecture," Owen said sarcastically. He shook his head.

"How will they figure out who's on the Wrestling team?" Lan wondered.

"I dunno. This means we won't have P.E. inside for a long time, though," Thorn responded.

Tahu was the only one who wasn't worried about the fire. Of course, he being the Toa of Fire, he enjoyed being surrounded in the hot stuff. But as a human, he didn't have a very good resistance to heat, and now fire seemed dangerous. Phooey.

Gali stood next to Geri. She was relieved that as far as she knew, no one had been hurt too bad or left inside the building when it collapsed.

"I wish I could have been able to put that out before it got too bad," she told Geri.

Tahu overheard her. He thought it strange that one girl thought she could put out a fire all by herself.

And as for the cause of the fire, the coaches and the kids still didn't know. Everyone had been so focused on the mat, and when the fire did start, no one had been paying much attention to the starting point of it. Kids were curious on how the benches were lit on fire, and some thought it strange that the windows froze and shattered at the beginning of summer. As for our two final contestants on the mat, Tahu and Kopaka, neither of them even considered that the cause of all the chaos was that their powers had activated. Both thought it was just a freak accident.

Soon the fire was contained, and the crowd went home, and the kids did as well. Lewa, Onua, Pohatu, Gali, and Takanuva had their suspicions about 'Kurt' and 'Toby', but they figured they should do some more observing before approaching the two. Now all that was left of the Old Mesa School Gym was a pile of half-standing charred boards and burned wood pieces. The coaches had gone to the main office to tell the rest of the staff the bad news. And another day passed at Old Mesa, with the Toa gaining more information on the whereabouts of each other.

A/N: I know, that was a really bad place to end it, but I couldn't put together a decent ending…so live with it. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter, this is one of my favorites!


	11. We Are Not Alone

A/N: I truly, sincerely, really apologize for being extra-slow on updating this chapter…but ya know, telling me to update soon doesn't make me update soon. And this chapter was hard because I didn't know where I wanted to go with this story, and I figured sooner or later, I'm gonna have to end it. And this one explains a bit more rather than just having the Toa gradually find their powers…I hope you like it. (If the first part doesn't make much sense, don't sweat. It will all come together in the end.)

PS: Oh! And one other thing: This is really important (well, it is, because it has to do with the fate of Earthbound Toa). Regrem Erutaerc and I were discussing ideas for future chapters, and the idea of having some of the Toa's loves and/or caretakers come with them back to Mata Nui (yes, I did and still do plan on having the Toa go back to Mata Nui) came up. But Thorn and Geri were different. They liked each other, but didn't have feelings for one of the Toa. So: should Thorn and Geri go to Mata Nui with Tahu and Gali, or should they be the two humans to stay behind? (And, for that matter, which humans should go and which should stay?) Any and all input would be greatly appreciated! (Think of it this way: the more ideas you give me, the more I have to work with, and quicker I can upload—hopefully.)

Disclaimer: Bionicle belongs to Lego, not me.

Dedicated to Kim Kinne (who reviewed many times, thank you!)

**Chapter 11**

"We are Not Alone…"

After school, Sam trudged down the sidewalk thinking. About what, you ask? Relationships? Homework? Friends?

None of the above. He was thinking about how he was going to find enough food for dinner and where he was going to sleep that night.

Sam was homeless.

He had been hiding it for a while. He hadn't always been homeless. But one day, his dad got up and left them, his mother and him. So she tried to get a job. But it wasn't easy…and they failed every time. Debts caved in on them, literally, and they were forced to sell their house. The homeless shelter took them in, and life seemed to get back on the track for Sam…until his mother committed suicide when Sam was 13. Once again, Fate had it in for Sam. Unwilling to stay, Sam, full of frustration, hurt, and anger, ran away from the shelter to fend for himself…on the streets. Luckily, he got a job working at the local supermarket, in the produce section.

Oh yes, it was hard. He could never ride the bus; where would it drop him off? His home changed regularly. He couldn't have friends…because if he went over to friends' houses, but he never invited them over to his, people would wonder. Same with their parents. His teachers? He'd been in junior high for three years, alone for two, and had formed a strategy: let everyone think I'm a bad kid, one who just doesn't get his permission slips signed by parents because I 'forgot'.

Anyways…Sam had finished yet another day at school, hiding under his fake alibi and wishing he didn't have to. He walked home, head down dejectedly, when his street-trained nose picked up a delicious scent. His mouth watered; all he had had to eat that day was a half-eaten sandwich. Sam picked up his pace and half-jogged toward the smell of fried chicken.

Sam soon came to a dumpster, the lid still open. Good. At least the garbage truck hadn't come yet; although, it came on Tuesdays, and today was Monday. He stood on his tiptoes, wary and hungry eyes scanning the contents of the dumpster until he found the chicken. He eagerly snatched it out and stood there, eating the crispy skin and moist chicken, savoring every bite.

He returned to scanning the dumpster for more treats thrown away by the rich, but he found nothing else, nothing _edible_ anyway. Than his eyes caught on some shiny black material half-buried under some cardboard. Sam reached in and pulled the item out; it was actually a strange, alien looking mask made of smooth black plastic. "What the heck is this?" muttered Sam. Of course, no one answered.

Sam turned it over and inspected it carefully. Perhaps it was some children's toy? He could use it as a Halloween mask this year; at least he wouldn't feel left out as usual when the holiday came rolling around.

He turned around to look at it in the light when all of a sudden, black wispy tentacles shot out of the mask and grabbed Sam by the shoulders, head, neck, and torso. The mask hung there in the air, floating, shaking, as Sam felt his strength being pulled away from him. He couldn't scream or move; the shadows gripped him too hard.

The bad feelings left as quickly as they had come. Sam felt his consciousness being pushed to the side, making room for another presence. One that was far more dark and foreboding than Sam had ever experienced. The mask now clung to his face, and he could see well in a strange type of night vision.

Sam felt his thoughts and ideas being ignored, compressed, as his limbs trembled and mutated…his whole body mutated…the new mind was full of alien thoughts and powers, and it scared him. But he had no choice; the strange new presence took control of his body. Sam didn't know it, but he now looked like a sort of alien-mutant freak: he was 9 feet tall, with onyx plated body armor on his arms, legs, torso, and shoulders; he had glowing red eyes, and pale flesh, as if he had never been out in the sun. Sam's long dark hair still ran down his back behind the mask. He laughed a low, sinister laugh and ran off toward the nearby apartment complex.

Thorn and Tahu were walking back to Thorn's house, discussing the events of that day.

"How come you didn't tell me you still had your powers?" Thorn asked.

Tahu rolled his eyes. "For the last time, I didn't know I still had them!"

Thorn surrendered. "Okay, dude, just…chill."

The figurative language made Tahu angry. "You do _not _tell _me _to _chill._ I refuse, point blank."

"Why not?"

Tahu, startled turned around. Geri and Molly had caught up with Thorn and him, and in his temper he hadn't seen them. He calmed down, softened a little: Molly and Geri didn't know the secret. He couldn't tell. "Well…I'm a fiery sort of guy, if you get my drift. I can't calm down easily."

Geri gave a little sort of laugh, but her eyes played at something else. Molly merely smiled at him. Thorn moved to walk next to Geri and put his arm around her, shaking his head.

"What are you guys staring at?" Tahu said, irritated.

"You know, you're not too bad, for a foreign exchange student," Geri mused. "What stumps me is how all of a sudden all these people I know end up with exchange students overnight…isn't is funny, _Gali_?"

Molly jerked and shot a startled look at Geri. Tahu stared at both of them. Did Geri just call Molly _Gali_? As in his sister-Toa-of-Water-Gali?

But before he could question them, Thorn's eyes bulged and he pointed in front of the group. "Look! What the freak--look, for Pete's sake!"

They did. Tahu looked, and it took him a while to comprehend what he was looking at.

A house, barely a block away, was on fire. There was a fire truck there, and people running inside and out, and firefighters spraying.

The kids walked hurriedly over to the house, or at least as far as they were allowed. The fire looked as though it had started in the second story of the house, but was quickly spreading.

"Holy cow…" Geri whispered. Molly stared up at the house, transfixed and shocked. Thorn kept shaking his head.

"Another fire?" Molly murmured sadly.

"It's too bad," Thorn said.

"What's too bad?" demanded Tahu.

"Well, that group of people over there, see them? That's the family that lived inside the house." He pointed over to where a man, a woman, a young girl, and a young man who appeared to be the girl's brother.

Geri gaped. "Hey, wait a minute! That's Kori and her family! I had no idea this is where they lived!" She craned her neck, and waved, trying to get Kori's attention.

Thorn looked. "Hey, you're right! It is Kasanova! Along with that strange dude from Norway…"

Tahu looked, and saw the shy girl Thorn always picked on. She was staring at her house, teary-eyed, half-leaning on that guy that had almost defeated Tahu at the wrestling tryouts. The tryouts seemed like ages ago…but it was only less than an hour ago. What was his name? Kurt? Yeah, it was Kurt, and he was also staring at the house, but it was impossible to read his expression. Why, he didn't even seem sympathetic about the fact that the Kasanova's house was going down in flames! Tahu scowled in Kurt's direction.

The woman, who was obviously Kori's mother, suddenly let out a scream.

"Where is he? Where is Dominic? Where is my baby?"

The man next to her, the father, jumped and looked around. "Dom? Where are you?"

While the parents were panicking, Thorn, Geri, Molly, and Tahu heard Kori say, with grim horror, "He's…not…outside…He's still in his crib…in the house…up there," she said, and pointed, trembling, up to the second story. She sank to her knees, still staring at the house. "It's my fault…I left him there, forgot about him when we all ran outside…"

Mrs. Kasanova made a move to run inside and grab her youngest child, but a nearby fireman held her back.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, at this rate the house will collapse in minutes. I'm sorry."

Mr. Kasanova tried to comfort his wife as she collapsed in a fit of weeping on his shoulder.

The group of kids had heard the whole thing.

"I feel so bad for Kori…I wonder who could have caused the fire in the first place?" Geri mused.

Kopaka was wondering the exact same thing. One moment, Kori had been caring for her baby brother Dominic, and he, Kopaka, had been doing homework in her room. The next, Mrs. Kasanova came into the room shouting in her Russian accent that they must evacuate, that the house was on fire…and now they were here, he was here, watching the house burn to the ground.

He had never like fire; such a disastrous, vile thing it was, burning and destroying everything it touched. It was why he had never really liked Tahu.

Tahu clenched his fists. "There's someone in that house that could die today…unless someone does something."

"And that would be—?" asked Thorn cautiously.

"I'm goin' in."

With that he broke through the line of firemen standing around the house and ran inside the burning building.

Inside, it was an inferno. Everything not fireproof was blackened and charred, but Tahu could still see that it had been a nice house. Tahu wanted to stay here, in this blazing building. The fire called to him, the warmth and burning feeling pleased him…but he had work to do. He quickly and effortlessly moved through the piles of charred rubble and made his way upstairs to find the baby.

He treaded lightly on the stairs, who knows when they could fall? All around him he could feel the smoke and hot air, but he remained untouched. It was as if a protective shield had gone up around him, repelling the flames. Tahu listened for a scream, but when he couldn't hear one, he decided to check all the rooms.

He found Dominic still in his crib, but passed out. Tahu grabbed the baby and ran downstairs. Behind him he heard the stairs collapse.

Barely exhausted, he ran back outside, still cradling the baby, who had started to come to and was now shrieking.

Mrs. Kasanova saw him approach and gave a scream of relief. She snatched Dominic from Tahu and hugged him close, but after a series of quick and extremely grateful thank-yous from Mr. Kasanova. Kori looked up from the ground, saw her baby brother and sighed happily. Kurt, who was still standing next to her, helped her up. Tahu made eye contact with Kurt, and the two exchanged cold glares (for no apparent reason).

Tahu sighed and walked through the throngs of people and firefighters, all of who were telling him, "You're lucky, you could have died!" or asking him, "How did you get out without a scratch?"

It must have seemed even stranger to the others, because Molly came running up to him, her blue eyes wide with anxiety.

"You could have perished in that fire!" she told him. "And yet…"

"Look, I had to get the kid out, I couldn't just let the baby die like that!" Tahu replied irritably.

Then Thorn and Geri came up to him next; both were as anxious as Molly.

"What were you thinking?" Geri asked, a pained look on her face.

"What is your problem? You don't seem to care that that baby would have died had I not gone in there to save him!" Tahu shouted.

Geri took on a look of sympathy. "It's not that we don't care about the baby, Toby…it's just that what you did and all…one of the firefighters could have saved the baby."

Tahu stood there, speechless.

"Exactly my point, Toby," Thorn said loudly and drew him aside. He spoke in a lower voice.

"You may not have noticed it, but when you ran out of the house, it looked as if…" Thorn paused, "…as if the flames were circling _away _from you…like you were in some sort of protective bubble or something." His eyes looked up and down Tahu. "Which would explain why you don't have a single burn on your body."

"Did anyone notice?" Tahu demanded.

Thorn shook his head. "I can't guarantee it, but I don't think so."

Tahu sighed in relief. "That would not have been good."

Geri was right. Toby _was_ Tahu. And what Molly had just seen confirmed it. So the guy had an affinity for fire. Nothing wrong with that. But when guys with affinities for fire go into burning houses and come out unharmed—or surrounded by an unearthly shield of some sort—then you've got something else.

Molly bit her lip. Did Tahu know that she knew? Did he know who _she_ really was? And if Tahu was here, than there was a high chance that the other Toa Nuva were there too.

"He's the Toa of Fire, isn't he?" Geri whispered in Gali's ear. "One of the other Toa?"

Gali nodded. "He definitely fits the description."

"Should we tell him—should _you_ tell him—that you know?"

"I do not know if that'd be wise…but I can't think of what else to do, at the moment," said Gali.

Thorn came over, along with Toby-Tahu. "We should get along home, now," said Thorn.

Geri nodded. She allowed Thorn to take her hand. "Come on, Molly."

Gali and Tahu fell into step next to each other.

"What's on your mind, Molly?"

She looked at him—oh, how blue her eyes were! "We need to talk, Toby. About what happened back there."

Tahu deflated. "You're mad at me, too?"

"No," she began. "But I find it interesting that a guy like you could go in and come out of a burning house unscathed."

"Well. About that." He was uncomfortable. "Look, you'd never believe me, even if what I was saying was the truth…"

"The truth about what?" Gali pressed.

"I'm not a normal human!" he said, exasperated. "I'm from a place called Mata Nui, which isn't on Earth at all, and there I―"

"Don't give me a confession. I thought that your behavior was perfectly normal…for a Toa Nuva of Fire."

She did it. Tahu stared at her. "Wait just a moment…how do you know about that?"

He paused, and then gripped her arms. "Gali?"

"I believe that's my true name," she said covertly, and then hugged him. "Oh, Tahu…"

"I was worried about you, and all this time, Molly turns out to be Gali!" He laughed. "What a coincidence!"

Gali laughed also.

They hugged, which turned into a kiss.

Geri and Thorn turned around, watching.

"I knew they'd find each other eventually," said Thorn.

"All this time, we knew, and we could have told them," Geri pointed out.

Thorn smiled. "Nah. We'd have ruined the tender reunion."

Tahu and Gali walked back to Geri and Thorn, smiling.

"So now what?" asked Thorn.

They all exchanged glances.

Gali spoke up. "We must find the other Toa Nuva."

"Agreed."

The firemen contained the fire in the Kasanova house, but the family had to stay in a rental house until they either found a new one or built their own, after the debris had been cleared away.

Kopaka stood in front of the former house, pondering.

"I'm just glad that Dominic's safe," Kori said from next to him.

He nodded. "Did you see what Toby did?"

"He rescued Dominic. It was amazing."

"No, what he did on the way out. How the flames seemed to stay away from him, somehow."

She looked at him. "You're right! I did see that."

He was silent.

"So what are you suggesting?" she asked.

"I don't know, merely that he may not be a normal human," muttered Kopaka. _Which only tells me who Toby really could be…_

"Kurt! Look over there!" Kori whispered urgently.

He looked up. Behind the pile of debris stood a tall, writhing figure, cloaked in black shadows. A black mask rested on his face, with glowing red eyes.

Kopaka got a sudden idea: that it was this strange being who had started the fire.

"Kori, get behind me."

She did immediately.

The shadowy figure looked at Kopaka.

"I shall destroy whomever gets in my way. The Toa Nuva shall fail in their quest," he hissed in a low voice.

Kopaka glared at him. "I believe that you'll fail before they do," he said, clenching his fist.

"Who are you, who dares to interfere?"

"You can call me Kurt." Kopaka didn't think it would be a good idea to give this stranger his true identity—especially when the stranger was out to destroy him.

"The Toa will fail," the shadowy stranger repeated.

"Back off," Kopaka said coldly. His eyes seemed to glow with strange energy—his ice powers were returning.

The shadowy figure stopped moving away and stared at Kopaka. "So…" he seemed to look straight through Kopaka, and his brain hurt, as if it was being probed. "I have found Kopaka Nuva, trapped in a pathetic human body, where he is powerless."

"Who is this guy?" murmured Kori worriedly.

"I don't know," Kopaka replied.

"I am the servant of Makuta, whom you fear," hissed the stranger.

Kopaka glared at him again. "I don't fear Makuta." This was a lie, though it would be hard for him to admit it.

The stranger laughed. "We shall see…and maybe more destruction will teach you to be more careful of what you do, and where you go…" He turned the corner and disappeared.

Kopaka, strangely, was shaken. "So it happened."

"What happened?" Kori said meekly. "What was he talking about?"

Kopaka turned to face her. "When we put on the human masks, we were sent here to Earth, in human bodies," he told her in a low voice. "It appears that Makuta has found some way to infuse his spirit in a similar mask and possess a victim who puts it on…although I don't know how he got the mask here."

"This is too much for me," Kori said faintly. "So now your archenemy is here on Earth?"

"It would appear so."

Kori stared at him.

Kopaka looked back. "I think we need to search for the other Toa."

A/N: I know, it's shorter than the other chapters, but I didn't want to fill up the ending with useless stuff. I hope you still all like it…

Is anyone keeping track of which Toa have found which? I believe it goes like this:

Takanuva hasn't found any other Toa, and I don't think they have found him.

Tahu was just found by Gali.

Kopaka was found (although he doesn't know it) by Lewa, Pohatu, and Onua. And Gali, I think. He has suspicions about who Tahu is.

Gali, to my knowledge, has not been found by anyone but Tahu.

Onua and Pohatu found each other, and then they found Lewa.

If anyone finds an error, please do tell me.


	12. Author's NotePlease Read and Reply

Update: 12/4/06 

Sorry to disappoint you guys...it's not another chapter update. :(

The reason I have been lagging behind on Earthbound Toa is simple. I, when first planning out this story, saw it as a one-shot, and thus didn't really make any storyline to come after it. When it was so widely received and I was asked if I was going to continue, at the time I had nothing better to do, and so I did.

Here's the problem...there's only so many chapters of what I call 'filler material' that I can write. I've had a major writer's block with that for months at least, partially because I don't have the time to sit back and think up a full-blown storyline for it. I am planning on finishing it soon, but I'm at a loss for how. People, your ideas were the only things motivating me to write this. I didn't have any of my own, really, so I used yours and combined them with the little info I did have and produced the chapters here already...but again, I can only do that so much...

I'm really sorry. I wasn't planning on being so slow...but I don't work well under pressure. I'd like you to tell me more when you review and such besides 'update more' and 'when are you going to update?' I'm glad you like my story, but like many writers out there, my goal is to get better--so tell me what you like/don't like/want me to add in.

So...I have nothing to work with, really. Send me your ideas, and I'll combine them and try to come up with something. ;;;

Oh yes. I have a DA gallery:( www.calypsosilverhawk. )There you will see some artwork I do. I draw more than I write, tough. ;; There is some ET-related art there, if you would like to see them. :)

I really hope I don't come across as too cold in this little letter-thingy...I just wanted to let you all know on my status/the status of this story, because I know people were wondering. ;; Just know, when I start a story...I mean to finish it, no matter how long it takes. Especially, and probably only, if I like it. ;;

That's all for now.


	13. An Old Enemy

Chapter 11

Old Enemy

The shadowy stranger was still on Kopaka's mind, even after 24 hours of tranquility. Kori's family had rented a house that was available and close by Old Mesa. Mrs. Kasanova had wanted to do something in return for Toby's rescue of Dominic, but she did not know who he was or where to find him.

It was a perfect opportunity to see if his suspicions would prove correct, so Kopaka said that he knew Toby and where he could be found. He was then handed a fifty-dollar bill and told to give it to Toby. It wasn't much, by others' standards, but the Kasanovas wanted to do _something _in return for Toby, who had selflessly braved the fire to save the youngest member of the Kasanova family, baby Dominic_. _

_I have a _feeling_ that Toby is really Tahu, _Kopaka thought. _And if I find Tahu, than maybe I will find the other Toa. And then we can tackle the problem of this shadowy stranger together. _As much as Kopaka would like to have solved the problem by himself, previous experiences had taught him that the Toa only triumphed through cooperation and teamwork, and he was slowly adjusting himself to the idea of working with others.

The next day, Kori and Kopaka went to school as usual. At lunch, Kopaka and Kori looked around in the cafeteria until they saw Thorn's table, which was filled up as usual. As they neared the group, Kori clung to Kopaka's arm. He turned to look at her, an eyebrow raised inquisitively.

She blushed. "It's habitual, sorry…but, you know Thorn hates me."

"He doesn't hate _me_, so there is nothing to worry about," he replied briskly.

Thorn looked up in surprise when he saw Kori and her exchange student walk up to his table. Geri smiled and waved at Kori, who shyly waved back.

"Hi, Kori! What brings you here?" Geri asked. "Oh! I saw the fire the other day…I'm so sorry about your house."

"It's okay," Kori mumbled back. "We're staying in a rental house for now, and our insurance should cover the damage done by the fire…"

"That's great!" said Geri.

Thorn cut in. "Yeah, sorry about your house and all…but, uh, what do you want, Kasanova?"

Kori flinched when Thorn affronted her. Kopaka took the lead.

"I need to speak to Toby."

Thorn shrugged. He beckoned to the guy sitting next to him; Toby was busy eating but looked up when Thorn poked him on the back and beckoned. His eyes narrowed as well when he saw Kopaka.

"What do you want, Kurt?" Toby demanded.

Kopaka raised an eyebrow. "No need to be rude. Can I speak to you a moment…in privacy?"

"Sure, whatever," Toby replied, albeit warily, and got up from the table.

At the same table, Pohatu watched with interest. "Isn't that Kurt—the guy we think is really Kopaka?" he asked Onua, who was sitting next to him and eating quietly.

Onua nodded. "We decided that back at Snowfall Peaks, remember? And we also think Toby's supposed to be Tahu, since he can't possibly be anyone else. But we're not exactly sure where Takanuva and Gali are—or rather, _who _they are. Weren't you paying attention when we discussed this at Owen's?" He scolded gently, rolling his eyes.

"Obviously not," replied the Toa of Stone without missing a beat, and continued eating lunch.

"So, what do you want with me?" Tahu asked Kurt, getting right down to business. They had found a half-empty table just out of the hearing and walking range of the others. Tahu didn't know why Kurt was singling him out; sure, he'd never really liked the guy but he'd never done anything to provoke or anger him…_had_ he? He admitted to himself that it was very likely he'd said or done something that offended Kurt or Kori or anyone else, for that matter. It was, after all, one of his defining characteristics. Tahu wondered where this self-reflection was coming from—it was generally something Gali or Onua or even _Kopaka_ would do, never the Toa of Fire. _Let the thinkers do their thing, I don't have time for that! Actions are what's needed, not pointless words. _It had become something of a personal mantra for him.

Kurt ignored his question. "The Kasanovas extend their thanks for saving Dominic the other day," he said stiffly. He produced a fifty-dollar bill from his pocket and handed it to Toby.

Tahu stared at the bill. These little slips of paper were worth something on Earth, Thorn had told him that much. Dollar bills were part of the currency of the United States of America—whatever _that _was (Thorn hadn't bothered to enlighten him), although similar currencies were used in other parts of the world. People used them to purchase things. The higher the number, the more the bill was worth. Fifty must be a pretty hefty amount because Tahu had noticed that most of the other students tended to carry only ones, fives, maybe tens and twenties.

"Thanks," he said, "but it was no problem." He stuffed the bill in his jeans pocket.

There was a stagnant pause as neither student said anything.

"Tahu," said Kurt, suddenly, as if testing the word.

Tahu's head snapped up automatically. "What?" he asked. "Wait—who told you my name is Tahu?" _This does not bode well!_

_I knew it! _Kopaka thought, and inwardly congratulated himself on his deduction. "You still can't tell?" he continued as he folded his arms. "All that hot air inside of you must be affecting your thinking."

Tahu glared at him. "What—what do you know about me?" _And why do I feel like I've had this conversation before—many, many times, too._

"Lots," said Kopaka. "After all, I _am_ Kopaka Nuva." _That felt…_strange_, that boasting thing that Tahu's always doing. It's uncharacteristic for me…but at the same time, it felt good. Perhaps I should do it more often._

"What? How can you―"" demanded Tahu, hardly bothering to keep his voice down. Then he took a shrewd look at Kopaka. "Well—it _is _you, Kopaka. I'd never thought I would be elated to run into _you_." His eyes flared.

A faint smile appeared on Kopaka's lips. "The same can be said for myself," he said dryly. _At least, I suppose you could call this feeling elation. I'm more relieved than anything. _Then he went back to business. "Have you found the others yet?"

_Always thinking about the mission, eh, Kopaka? Glad to see that hasn't changed. _"No. Except for Gali, and I do not know if she knows where the others are." Tahu shook his head. "Come on, we had better tell the others," he said, meaning Thorn's group.

Thorn's eyes were probing. Kopaka stood next to Kori, waiting for Tahu to tell Thorn and Geri.

"Well?" demanded Thorn.

"The Kasanovas just wanted to thank me for saving their son," Tahu said. In a failed attempt at being casual, he continued on to say, "Oh and this is Kopaka Nuva, one of my fellow Toa." He gestured in Kopaka's direction. Kopaka said nothing, as he was prone to do.

"Yeah, he's a real talkative guy, can't ever get him to shut up during a briefing," Tahu drawled, immune to the icy glares his companion was sending him.

"Oh wow, that's great that you've been reunited with another Toa!" said Geri enthusiastically. She turned to the girl next to her. "Hey, Gali, Tahu just found another one of your, er, brothers!"

The girl turned quickly. Kopaka noted again just how blue her eyes were. She stared at him for a moment. "Kopaka?" she asked finally.

"Hello, Gali."

Gali smiled. "I'm glad to see you too," she said. A cordial greeting like 'Hello' was almost equivalent to 'I love you', whenever the Toa of Ice was concerned. "You're looking well, Kopaka."

"Well, I hate to break up this family reunion," Thorn interrupted, "but don't you guys still need to find the other Toa?"

"Yes," said Tahu. "And then we need to figure out our next phase of action."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Boy howdy am I behind. This chapter has actually been done for at least a year but I forgot I had it, and then I got a new hard drive and started college and things just got crazy. BUT. I think I may have been re-inspired to finish this story, through the help of a couple different people. So although this chapter is short, think of it as a Christmas present? :D

As for going back and editing this story, I started to, but it was tricky because I wasn't even finished yet. So my goal is now to finish this fic and then go back and edit/add/remove stuff so it's consistent. Because I started this story when I was in 8th grade, and now I'm a college freshmen (...wow, when you think of it that way it's even more embarassing!) and my writing, I would like to think, has improved a lot. So, just a heads-up.

Thanks for those who have stuck with me so far! Means a lot. :D


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